That Butler, New Face
by weezerz2490
Summary: We all know the story of everyone's favorite demon butler and young Earl, but what if they had a third partner in crime? Let's rewrite history by adding a new face, now shall we? Chene's life is about to get a whole lot more interesting! [currently on hiatus]
1. That Butler, Prologue

So, someone asked me to write a Kuroshitsuji fanfic for and throw in an OC for kicks. So I said sure, why not? This story is going to be set in the mangaverse, so it'll be a little different form the anime. Personally, I prefer the manga anyway, and Sebastian is funnier in it too. If you haven't read the manga I **STRONGLY** encourage it. Also, I won't be posting a character stats page for the OC. You'll just have to find out more about her as it's revealed in the story. And just as a heads up, I am American, so any UK stuff that I screw up, I apologize for it in advance. I try to check my facts, but sometimes I just take a little artistic license. I'll try not to make the OC seem like a needy little Mary Sue.

So yeah, I obviously don't own anything or I wouldn't be posting it on a fanfic site now, would I? Geez, the guys with the sniper rifles outside my house wouldn't even let me own it in my dreams...

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><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Prologue<strong>_

{Summer, 2011 – The LeBeau family vacation – Somewhere in the English Countryside.}

Pale-green eyes watched as a light breeze rippled across a field of tall grass and wildflowers. A lock of chocolate brown hair blew in front of the girl's face for a moment before she casually tucked it behind her ear again. It was such a beautiful spring day, and a rather sunny one for the UK … there was just one problem….

"Ugh! Why did the rental car have to break down all the way out here!" whined a petulant little strawberry-blond. "Why couldn't we break down somewhere cool, like in London? If I wanted to get stuck out in the sticks, I would've stayed in Louisiana. Right, Chêne?"

The brunette, Chêne, rolled her eyes at her little sister's temper-tantrum. Chêne was already 16, she didn't see why she _still_ had to go on the family vacation. At least they finally went on a trip that didn't involve driving a thousand miles – crammed in a tiny car with her overbearing mother, uptight Marine father, and hyperactive, ADHD, bipolar sister – just to go to some cheesy tourist trap back in the states … it also beat that time her dad sent her to "kiddy boot camp" sponsored by the Navy. 'Tch. Yeah, right the only difference between that boot camp and the real one was that it was a weak shorter.' Chêne thought bitterly. It had been hellish, especially since she just couldn't keep her mouth shut. Talking back to "Petty Officer**_ Satan_**" had _not_ been her best idea.

"Hurry up and fix it, Daddy! You _promised_ I could go shopping with Chêne once we got to town!" her sister whined. Their dad sighed.

"Chêne, please control your sister. You know she only listens to you." Chêne snorted._'What am I, her keeper?'_ Chêne thought. Well, it was true her sister adored her…

Chêne saw something black move out the corner of her eye. She turned to look and saw… a black bunny? Chêne knew it probably wasn't a good idea to try to pet a wild animal, but she had a severe weakness for the cute and fuzzy.

"Hey there little guy." Chêne said, reaching out to pet it. The little black bunny looked at her, twitched its nose, and hopped off. "Hey wait up!" She called after the bunny, chasing it. "Whoa!" Chêne yelped as she _almost_ fell into a **huge** hole in the ground. "That was close…where did the bunny go?" Chêne wondered, looking around. Suddenly she felt the ground shift under her feet. _"Crap!"_ She was too close to the hole, and her extra weight had caused the ground to collapse beneath her.

Chêne was falling.

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><p>Well, hope you liked it! ^_^ Feel free to press that little review button...even if you hated it.<p> 


	2. That Butler, New Face

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, New Face<strong>_

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><p>It was strange… Instead of feeling as though she were plunging toward her doom, Chêne felt as if she were floating. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that instead of falling down a hole, she was surrounded by strange lights that swirled into a vortex. It reminded Chêne of those screen savers that tried to imitate the effect of flying through space at warp speed. It was a cool effect, definitely not something you would find in your average hole in the ground.<p>

'That's the British for you, I guess.' Chêne thought to herself. 'Even their bottomless pits are fancy.'

Suddenly Chêne felt another force pulling on her, and a light blinded her. She shut her eyes and winced in pain as she slammed in to something _really_ hard. Not cool. Chêne groaned and tried to sit up, not quite managing it. She hoped she didn't have a concussion…

**=†=†=†=†=†=**

{1886 – The headquarters of a certain cult – England, just outside of London}

**Ciel's POV**

How long had he been here? Being tortured, beaten, reduced to nothing more than a filthy, debased animal. Ciel couldn't be sure. _It _happened again today. He was forced into the cage with the other children. There were fewer of them now, and they were forced to watch as even more of them were murdered for one of the cult's sick rituals. They claimed they could summon the devil to do their bidding by doing so. As far as Ciel was concerned, they were the devil himself, evil. Ciel watched with dull, hopeless eyes as the little girl on the pentagram breathed her last. As always, nothing happened. The cult members were clearly not pleased, and they bickered amongst themselves.

"I do not understand. The conditions for summoning a demon are perfect tonight!" A large man with a gray mustache said.

Though Ciel knew none of the members' names, and they always wore masks and cloaks to disguise themselves, he knew from watching them that this man was the leader.

"In fact," the leader continued, "the conditions for summoning a high-level demon will not be this good for another ten years once tonight ends."

The cult members began to whisper amongst themselves. These people – if you could call them that – were greedy and selfish. There was no way they were willing to wait that long.

"There is no other alternative then," the leader said, "we will just have to keep performing the ceremony until either a demon answers, or we run out of sacrificial lambs – Whichever comes first."

The leader stalked over to the cage Ciel was in while the others removed the little girl's corpse from the altar. Ciel shuffled as far back into the cage as he could. He was the only one left now, and as wretched as his current situation was, Ciel did not want to die, not like this. As the man reached for the cage door, something unbelievable happened. The pentagram was _glowing_. Everyone in the room froze as they watched a girl materialize from thin air, right in front of their eyes. Ciel was truly shocked.

'They couldn't have succeed could they?' Ciel wondered.

The girl looked human enough. Ciel couldn't see her eyes because they were closed, but her hair reminded him of chocolate. She her skin was very pale, but it had a golden tone to it despite the fact that it was as white as porcelain. She also had a few freckles across the bridge of her nose. They only really strange thing about her – other than how she came through a pentagram – was her clothing. For one, the girl was wearing _pants_, unheard of for a lady at the time. They were made out of some rough, blue material. They hugged her curves tightly, like riding pants, but instead of tucking them into boots, the girl was wearing laced-up shoes that were made with a design that was completely foreign to Ciel. Her blouse was made out of very fine-knit material that was also very form fitting, and it was grey with _extremely_ bright colored designs on it. She also sported a hooded jacket of the same material, only it was black, and she had a rather large bag slung across her shoulder. The girl's body hovered above the sacrificial altar for a moment before falling, and a sick cracking sound was heard as she slammed down onto the altar. The girl groaned and opened her eyes. They were a soft, pale green. She tried to get up, but uselessly fell back on the altar. She must have hit her head too hard, because she was now unconscious. The whole room was silent, the cult members too shocked at their success to speak. The silence was broken by someone's low, half-crazed laughter. It was the leader.

"Hahaha! At last, it worked! Wake it up you fools, there's no time to waste!" The leader said as he rushed to the altar and began to shake the girl. "Wake up! Wake up! You can sleep after you have granted our wishes!" The girl groaned and rolled onto her side.

"Five more minutes Mom, my head hurts." the strange girl mumbled.

'Some demon.' Ciel thought. He would have snorted if he had the energy. She sounded like the pampered child he had once been, before _that_ day. Of course, the leader was not amused by her reaction at all.

"What did you say, wench?" the man growled at her. The girl's eyes snapped open.

"What? Who are you!" The girl said, wide-eyed in surprise. "Where am I?" The girl asked as her eyes started to scan the room. "… I've dreamed this…" the girl mumbled to herself.

'She dreamed it? Who would want to dream of something like this?' Ciel thought cynically. The girl's eyes suddenly locked with his, as though she had heard his thoughts. Her eyes widened in shock as she took in Ciel's appearance.

**Chêne's POV**

She had dreamed of this before, being surrounded by strange, cloaked figures, in the middle of a pentagram for some satanic ritual. Chêne often had dreams strange dreams that felt incredibly real, but when she woke, she could barely remember them. She would often have a strange sense of déjà vu, and later realize the events of the day had been a part of her dream. She had this one in particular several times before, but Chêne had never seen this little boy before. He was dressed in a threadbare white tunic, and his ankles were shackled with heavy metal cuffs and chains. He was also covered in filth and a little blood. They obviously hadn't been feeding him well either. The boy's beautiful blue eyes were dull, lifeless. They reminded her of her own during _that time. _He looked about her sister's age – only nine or ten. She was livid. She glared at the others in the room.

"You people make me sick!" she spat at them. "How _dare_ you treat a child this way!"

**Ciel's POV**

The girl walked determinedly towards the cage.

"Where's the key for this thing?" She asked boldly.

"W-What do you think you are doing?" the leader demanded, outraged by her lack of respect.

The girl looked at him as if he were a complete idiot.

"Freeing him, duh." The girl said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ciel's eyes widened. The leader turned an interesting shade of purple.

"_Freeing_ him!" the leader shrieked, outraged. "What kind of demon are you?" The girl frowned in confusion.

"Demon? Who, _me_?" The girl asked pointing to herself. "What ever gave you that idea? Any way you look at it, I'm human." The girl said, crossing her arms.

"You came through the summoning circle!" The leader exclaimed. "If you are not a demon, then how else could you have done it?"

"How should I know?" The girl said, shrugging. "This is just a dream anyway. It doesn't _have_ to make sense. This is _my_ dream, so I can do whatever I want, and I want to free this kid, so get out of my way."

'Why does she keep saying this is a dream?' Ciel wondered. He decided he rather liked this girl. She had only been there for a few minutes, and she had already managed to wound the ego of the leader of his tormenters. 'Good show.' Ceil thought. The leader snapped.

"This is not a dream, wench!" The enraged man bellowed. "If you are _not_ a demon, then we have no further use for you!" The leader grabbed the girl by her hair, and dragged her away from the cage. He threw her harshly onto the floor.

"That _hurt_, you bastard!" The girl said tartly. "I think I have enough brain damage already, thank you _very_ much!"

"You impertinent wench, I'll turn this 'dream' of yours into a _nightmare_!" The leader said, signaling to another member to bring him the brand-iron that was still conveniently sitting in a pail of hot coals. The girl's eyes widened when she realized his intentions.

"Screw this crap, I'm waking up!" She said, panicking slightly. She clearly had no idea how she was going to accomplish that.

"Hold her." The man commanded, and his fellow cult members surrounded and restrained her.

They stripped the girl of her jacket and blouse, leaving her in some kind of strange corset that only covered her chest, and nothing else. The girl continued to struggle uselessly against her captors. The leader had a sadistic gleam in his eye as he pressed the red-hot brand into the pale skin of her lower back. The girl cried out in pain as the brand sizzled against her skin. She was shaking; a look of disbelief was in her eyes. She no longer believed it was just a dream.

"Well, Wench? Do you still think this is just a dream? I f you beg, maybe I'll let you go." The Leader taunted her cruelly. The girl exhaled slowly, trying to even out her ragged breathing from the pain. She looked over her shoulder at the man.

"My name isn't 'wench'." She said as calmly as she could. "It's Chêne, and you're going to have to do better than that if you want me to beg a bastard like you for anything." The girl, whom Ciel now knew was Chêne, glared defiantly at the man. 'I'm the daughter of a U.S. Marine.' Chêne thought proudly. 'We don't give in to terrorists or bastards like you.' For once she was glad her dad had been so tough on her all these years. If not, the pain she was going through right now would have reduced her to tears.

The leader scowled at her. That was obviously not the reaction he was going for. The leader pulled a whip out from his cloak, and began to whip her. Chêne gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut in pain. Tears were leaking down her face, but she did not cry out.

"If you scream for me, I _might_ take pity on you and stop." The leader taunted her. It was a blatant lie. The man was clearly enjoying himself too much to stop. The girl whimpered. The leader's face split into a crazed smile. "I'm sorry, what was that? Speak up _Chêne_. I can't hear you." The leader laughed as he continued to lash her.

"… 5 … 6 …7…" Chêne said, a little louder. She was counting. The leader's sadistic grin faltered slightly.

"What? What are you counting?" The leader asked, slightly taken aback. Her eyes were starting to glaze over from the pain, and herself control was weakening, but Chêne gave the man a superb shit-eating grin.

"I'm counting how many hits I'll owe you once I manage to break free." Chêne said. It was obviously a bluff; she could barely keep her voice from cracking. "I'm not usually an 'eye for an eye' kind of girl, but you really piss me off."

The leader threw the whip away and kicked her in the stomach. This girl was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid… Ciel decided it had to be the latter of the two. The leader glared at Chêne.

"We're wasting time!" The leader growled.

He glanced at the cage and smirked when he locked eyes with Ciel. Ciel couldn't help it, he shivered in fear. The look in that man's eyes was inhumanly cruel. Ciel had almost forgotten he was about to be sacrificed before that girl appeared.

There was no escaping this time. He was the only one left.


	3. That Butler, Summoned

I own nothing.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Summoned<strong>_

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><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

**"creepy Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†= is a scene transition/passage of time

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><p><strong>Chêne's POV<strong>

Chêne had noticed the way the man had looked at the boy, and his reaction to it. She looked at the altar again, and realized it was stained with blood. Her eyes widened. How could she have not noticed that? It finally clicked. They were going to sacrifice that boy. She watched in horror as they tied the boy down to the altar.

"No." Chêne said softly, hoping in vain that she was wrong. The leader turned to her.

"Oh, so you are _that_ type of person, hmm?" The leader said, smiling like that cat that ate the canary. "The 'bleeding heart'? You are too stubborn to break when you are the one suffering, but it is another matter entirely when it concerns someone else, correct?" The man leered at Chêne as he picked up the ceremonial dagger and began the ritual.

"No! You leave him alone!" Chêne yelled desperately. The cult members ignored her pleas as they continued, chanting strange things that sounded like Latin. She was still being held in place by two of the cult members. "He's just a kid! STOP IT!" She screamed.

**Ciel's POV**

Ciel continued to struggle as he heard Chêne begging the cult to spare him.

'_No!'_ Ciel thought, panicking, _'No! I don't want to die!' _

He heard Chêne struggling to break free from her captors again. The chanting stopped, and the leader raised the dagger above Ciel. His heart was beating rapidly he felt like a wild animal that had been cornered by a predator, unable to escape. Ciel frantically looked around the room, trying to look at anything other than the glittering black eyes of the man hovering over him, gleeful at the thought of his death. Ciel saw Chêne, she was doing her best to break free, but she was obviously weak from the beating she had taken earlier, not to mention the men that held her were three times her size. Ciel froze when he saw the look in Chêne's eyes. The fear he saw in them wasn't just for herself, it was for him. There was no sickening cruelty, no unwanted pity, only understanding and desperation as she struggled to get to him. It had been so long since someone had looked at him in such a way… not since his mother died.

"Now, here we have little Ciel, the son of the _late_ Earl Phantomhive," the leader leered at Ciel, "let us hope such high quality material will summon us a _real_ demon this time!" The man growled as he viciously stabbed Ciel with the knife. Ciel cried out in agony as a searing pain tore through his chest.

'It doesn't matter _who_!' Ciel thought desperately. 'It doesn't matter _how_!' He heard Chêne screaming. _'SAVE US!' _

Ciel's desperation was turning into rage as he felt his life draining from him.

_'_Why should _we_ have to die!' Ciel grit his teeth in anger. 'No one _ever_ comes to our rescue.'

Ciel remembered the cries of the other children, the children that lay on the altar as he now did.

'There is_ no _such thing as God_ – KILL KILL KILL KILL–!'_ Ciel screamed in his mind as two glowing crimson eyes watched him.

"**Oh? Well aren't you a very small master."** A dark, seductive voice mused. Heels clicked on the floor as a figure, shrouded in shadows paced the room. Circling, like a predator.

**Chêne's POV**

Chêne froze when she felt some kind of strange presence fill the room. She stopped trying to break free and stared in shock when she saw the demon. Although, other than crimson eyes, she could not make out any distinct features the demon may have possessed –thanks to the mysterious and oddly dense shadows dancing around him – she got the distinct impression the demon was a he. His presence chilled Chêne to the bone and filled her with a heavy, cold dread. There was no doubt this time. _This _was a demon. She forced herself to look away from the demon, and she saw the boy, still on the altar, bleeding to death. Ciel, they had called him. Chêne looked at her captors and realized they had gone limp with shock. Breaking loose from their grip would be easy now… but that demon…

"**You have summoned me." **The demon continued to address Ciel. **"This fact will not change for eternity."**

Chêne very carefully removed herself from the grip of her captors, and started sneaking towards Ciel as inconspicuously as she could. The demon's crimson eyes locked with her own pale-green. She froze, waiting to see if the demon would attack her. The demon's eyes merely glittered as though he were amused at her actions. He turned back to Ciel.

**"What has been sacrificed can never be returned. Now… choose."** The demon said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

Chêne saw a glint of fangs as the demon smiled at his prey. Those crimson eyes glowed with hunger. Pushing aside her fear and ignoring all sense of self-preservation and common sense, Chêne cautiously began to move towards Ciel again. He reminded Chêne too much of her little sister. He also reminded Chêne of herself at _that_ time. She just couldn't abandon him. She felt crimson eyes following her, but she didn't dare stop in case she lost her nerve. No one made a move to stop her. The cult members were too distracted and shocked by their success to pay her any heed. Ciel's eyes were glazed over and dull, but he was still breathing.

"Hey, kid…" Chêne said gently, but firmly, trying to snap him out of it. She gently placed her hand on the side of his face, cradling his head. "…Ciel?"

Ciel's head snapped to side, and he stared at Chêne as though he were seeing her for the first time.

**Ciel's POV**

"…What … did you call me? Ciel asked her. Chêne looked relieved when he spoke. She smiled weakly.

"Ciel…that's you're name, right?" Chêne said.

She was glad Ciel was reacting, but he was still bleeding rather heavily. She pressed her hand down firmly on the wound, hoping the pressure was enough to stop the blood flow or at least slow it down. Ciel was too deep in thought and too out of it to notice.

"Yes … my name is Ciel…" Ciel said slowly. 'That's right.' He thought. 'I am Ciel Phantomhive. _No._ I am now _Earl_ Phantomhive.'

Ciel's eyes hardened as he remembered. He was a nobleman, and someone had _dared_ to murder his parents and burn down their home. Someone had _dared_ to humiliate and debase _him_, selling him off to this cult, like an animal. Ciel glared coldly at the cult members scattered throughout the room. He looked the demon right in the eyes.

"This is an order." Ciel said, a glowing pentagram surrounded by a spiked circled now embedded in his right eye. "Kill them!"

The demon's eyes glowed even brighter with pleasure.

**"Yes, master."** The demon smirked.

=†=†=†=†=

{1886 – A few yards away from the cult's headquarters}

**Chêne's Pov**

The three of them: Ciel, Chêne, and the demon had been walking through the woods for a while now. Well, actually, the demon – whom Ciel had named Sebastian – was walking and carrying Ciel, who had passed out. Chêne was limping behind them, trying to keep up. They were trying to put some distance between them and the now burning headquarters of the cult. Sebastian had brutally slaughtered all the cult members, grinning and laughing the whole time. Then, the demon had turned on Chêne, but lucky for her, Ciel ordered him to stop in time. Sebastian had stopped immediately, but the demon chuckled darkly as he warned Ciel to be more specific about his orders in the future. She shuddered to think of what had almost happened. Ciel then ordered Sebastian to burn the place down and leave before he had passed out. Now here they were, a demon, his contractor, and a random girl, schlepping through the forest together. Once Ciel had formed a contract with Sebastian, he took on a much more human appearance. His new appearance was rather handsome, but in truth Chêne still wanted to get as far away from the demon as possible. However, she didn't want to leave Ciel alone with a demon, especially since she still needed to treat his wounds.

"Okay, this should be far enough now." Chêne said. She stopped and started digging around in her purse – which was _really _big – for the first-aid kit she always kept in it.

Sebastian just kept walking, totally ignoring her.

"Don't ignore me!" Chêne snapped at him.

Sebastian stopped and stared at her. Chêne gulped. Okay, so she was a little on edge from being hungry, tired, and in pain…obviously not the best state of mind to make decisions in, because she had just yelled at a homicidal demon. Not exactly the best idea.

"Ah! I-It's just … um!" Chêne quickly tried to form an intelligible sentence before Sebastian decided to pick up from where he had left off earlier. 'Get a grip Chêne!' She scolded herself. "I need to treat his wounds!" Chêne finally blurted out.

The demon's eyes glittered with amusement. She gaped at him. This jerk was totally enjoying watching her squirm. Well… he was a demon. Sebastian's face was suddenly an inch from her own. Chêne flinched in surprise, but stood her ground… She might have been shaking slightly, but that was beside the point. Now that she finally had a good look at him, Chêne realized Sebastian wasn't just handsome. He was actually _really_ hot. Chêne blushed, but then slapped herself to bring her back to her senses.

'So what if he's hot, he just slaughtered an entire room full of people!' Chêne reminded herself. Although she had to admit, she was glad the cult couldn't hurt anyone anymore, and she and Ciel were safe… for now at least. Sebastian smirked.

"You do not have the authority to order me to do _anything_. My contract is with 'Ciel Phantomhive' alone, and as such, I will only do what _he_ orders me to. Nothing more. Nothing less. Understand?" Sebastian said to her. His deep, velvet voice had taken on a very patronizing tone, but there was still a dangerous edge to it. Chêne bit her lip and nodded.


	4. That Butler, Departure

Yeah...so The peep that asked me to write this fic for them said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I want it to be a SebastianXOC story." Please insert face palm here. So yes this will have some slight SebastianXOC, but I'll try to keep it from being too OOC. I make no guarantees. I also realized I forgot to post my little disclaimer on my some of my other chaps, so I'll go back and do that soon, but I obviously don't own anything.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Departure<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift_  
><em>

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><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_Sebastian smirked._

_"You do not have the authority to order me to do anything. My contract is with 'Ciel Phantomhive' alone, and as such, I will only do what he orders me to. Nothing more. Nothing less. Understand?" Sebastian said to her. His deep, velvet voice had taken on a very patronizing tone, but there was still a dangerous edge to it. Chêne bit her lip and nodded._

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><p><strong>Chêne's POV<strong>

Chêne knew she could only push the demon so far, and she most definitely did _not_ have a death wish, but Ciel … She looked at the boy that was still sleeping in Sebastian's arms. The wound on his chest had somehow been healed when he made the contract with Sebastian, but his other wounds, the whip welts and small cuts, looked like they might be infected and needed attention soon.

**Sebastian's POV**

"…Then…" Chêne spoke hesitantly, "Can we _please _stop so I can treat his wounds? I think they might be infected."

Though he did not show it, Sebastian was slightly surprised. He had not really expected her to continue to talk back to him, let alone say 'please' to a demon like him. Humans were rather interesting. Sebastian smirked at her again, his eyes glittering in amusement.

"Very well," he conceded, "Although he has not given me any order to do so, I suppose it simply would not do to have my master die so early on in the contract."

The girl sighed in relief.

"Thank you. Alright, put him down there – Please?" Chêne said. She sat down on the dirt floor of the woods and pulled out a fluffy, pink blanket that had a princess crown pattern on it and laid it out on the ground for him to set Ciel down on. He stared at the blanket. Although it was not unusual for young girls to favor this color, he hadn't expected it from Chêne. She seemed to notice his stare as she began pulling medical supplies out of a strange white box made of a shiny white material he had never encountered before. It had a red cross on it and an inscription that read _FIRST + AID._

"…What? Oh, it's the blanket isn't it?" Chêne said laughing and rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, that's my little sister's she's always stashing stuff in my bag just to annoy me, but I guess it came in handy this time."

Sebastian laid his new master on the blanket. Chêne removed Ciel's tunic, but she turned an interesting shade of red when she realized he had nothing else on underneath it. She instantly draped the tunic over Ciel's lower body and went back to work. Chêne opened a bottle of clear liquid labeled _Rubbing Alcohol_ and wet one of the clean cloths in the kit with it.

"This is going to sting." She told Ciel.

Sebastian did not understand why she bothered since the boy was still unconscious. She started wiping Ciel's wounds clean, and he twitched at the burning sensation from the alcohol, but he remained unconscious. Once she had removed all the dirt from his wounds, Chêne began draining the puss from his wounds. After removing as much as she could, Chêne poured another liquid that was in a brown bottle called _Hydrogen Peroxide _on Ciel's wounds. The liquid fizzed when it came in contact with his wounds, and Ciel twitched again but did not wake. She then stitched up some of the more severe wounds and applied some kind of healing salve. Finally, Chêne began bandaging Ciel's wounds.

"Are you a healer or a doctor, girl? You seem quite knowledgeable in medicine." Sebastian observed. Chêne frowned at him.

"We've been over this already, _Sebastian._" Chêne said tartly. "My name is _Chêne,_ not girl. Use it." She crossed her arms in irritation. "And no, I'm not a doctor. I just carry this thing around with me because I'm a tomboy, so I'm always getting scraped up doing something I shouldn't." Chêne told him.

She flopped backwards onto the ground out of exhaustion, but she immediately jerked back up into a sitting position.

"Oooow!" She yelped. Sebastian smirked at her. Falling on her wounded back like that must have hurt quite a bit.

"Forget something?" Sebastian teased her. "Aren't you going to treat your own wounds?" Chêne frowned.

"I'd love to, but I can't." She said, sighing.

"Oh? Do you need help?" Sebastian asked, smirking as crouched down beside her and lightly touched her bare back. She automatically smacked his hand away and shuffled backwards, staring at him, wide-eyed. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at this. It would seem Chêne did not like to be touched.

"N-No!" She stuttered. "Sorry for slapping you! It was a reflex, but no, I don't need your help… There's just no more first-aid supplies left in the kit." Chêne explained.

"You did not save anything for yourself?" Sebastian asked skeptically. She shook her head.

"No, there wasn't that much left in there to begin with." Chêne said. "…I think I will take some aspirin though. My back is _killing_ me." She tore open a small packet and swallowed two white pills with some distilled water that had been in the kit. "Aaah! That's better." She sighed. "Or at least it will be once this pain-killer kicks in, thirsty?" Chêne held the water bottle out for him.

"I do not have the same needs as humans." Sebastian said, declining her offer. Chêne gave him a blank stare like she had no clue what he meant by that. "…I do not need to eat or drink human food." He explained. "My source of sustenance is the human soul." Chêne blinked.

"…Oh…right, silly me. You are a demon after all." She said, laughing nervously. "I'm gonna shut up now…"

Sebastian stared at the girl. She could not have forgotten he was a demon already, could she? He had his suspicions from the moment he first laid eyes on her, but this confirmed it. Chêne had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Sebastian heard his new master groan as the boy finally regained consciousness.

**Ciel's POV**

Ciel blinked as he awoke and tried to sit up. He felt someone gently brace his back as they helped him sit up. It was Chêne. Ciel glanced over her shoulder and saw Sebastian standing behind her, observing the two of them. It felt like the demon was mocking him with his stare.

"I can do it by myself." Ciel said, trying to push Chêne away. She frowned at him.

"Maybe, but if you strain yourself, it could rip your stitches." Chêne warned him. "So you can either lay down on your own, or sit up with my help."

"Stitches? Ciel asked. He looked down at himself and realized all of his wounds had been treated. He had also been undressed. Ciel flushed in embarrassment. "W-Who undressed me!" Ciel asked panicking. He had been made to endure much more humiliating situations than this over the past few months, but for some reason he couldn't help but feel embarrassed for being so exposed in front of Chêne and Sebastian like this. Chêne rubbed the back of her neck and gave him an apologetic look.

"Sorry Ciel, that was me…I didn't realize you weren't wearing anything under that tunic until it was too late – But I barely even saw anything! I promise!" Chêne said, trying to reassure him. It did not work at all. Ciel was mortified.

"!" Ciel sputtered, he was beyond words. Sebastian chuckled, clearly amused at his expense. "Sebastian, this is an order! Fetch proper clothing for the three of us!" Ciel barked.

"But Ciel, I am wearing 'proper' clothes." Chêne said, slightly confused. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? So it has become proper for a young woman to walk around in public in only a very revealing corset and pants that leave nothing to the imagination?" Sebastian asked her mockingly. Chêne blinked in confusion before glancing down at herself. She blushed tomato red from head to toe.

"!" Chêne yelped, slapping her arms across her chest in an _extremely_ belated attempt at modesty. _"NO!"_ Chêne yelled, clearly scandalized. "I just forgot that they took my shirt, _okay_! And there's nothing wrong with my skinny jeans; everyone wears them! I would like another shirt though."

"Proper ladies do not wear pants." Ciel said.

"Yeah well, I'm not a lady. I'm a teenager, and it's the 21st century Ciel. Women have been wearing pants for like decades now." Chêne said. Ciel and Sebastian stared at her. Sebastian was slightly amused. Ciel just thought Chêne was a lunatic.

"She did hit her head rather hard earlier…" Ciel told Sebastian. Chêne scowled at him.

"I didn't hit my head _that_ hard, and I can hear you, you know." Chêne grumbled.

"Then you should know that this is the 19th century. The year was 1885 last time I checked." Ciel told her.

"_What?"_ Chêne said in disbelief.

"That sounds about right." Sebastian said, agreeing with Ciel. "It has been approximately one hundred years since I last walked amongst you humans, give or take a few decades." Chêne just gaped at the two.

"Okay ya'll, this is seriously _not funny_." Chêne said. "You'd better knock it off because I'm gullible so, I might believe you if you keep it up." She paused, as though she just remembered something. "Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you that'll take the edge off your pain a little, and lucky for you I happen to have an antibiotic in here too. Your wounds were infected." Chêne said as she handed him two small white pills, one large pill, and a bottle of water. The water was in a strange clear container. Ciel could tell it was not glass. He did not think Chêne would try to poison or drug him, but Ciel was still hesitant to take the medicine…what was an antibiotic anyway?

"What's the matter?" Chêne asked.

"What's an antibiotic?" Ciel asked her. "And what is this bottle made out of? It isn't glass." Chêne furrowed her brow.

"An antibiotic is something you take to help your body fight off bacteria and cure infected wounds. That bottle is made out of plastic, like this first-aid kit and practically everything else in this world." Chêne said as though it were common knowledge.

"I have never heard of such things before." Ciel said. Chêne was giving him that blank stare of disbelief again.

"That antibiotic I just gave you is penicillin in pill form. It's usually given as a shot though…anyway, penicillin has been used and manufactured on a massive scale ever since World War II." Chêne told him. It was Ciel's turn to stare in disbelief. A world war?

'This girl is as mad as a hatter.' Ciel decided.

"Here are the clothes you requested." Sebastian said. Chêne jumped at his sudden appearance.

**Chêne's POV**

"Whoa!" She yelled in surprise. "That was fast! I didn't even notice you'd left."

Sebastian smirked at her. He was now wearing a suit that reminded her of a butler's uniform.

'Oh, right, Ciel had mention something about Sebastian acting as his butler when they made the contract.' Chêne thought, remembering. She had been a little too busy getting over the shock of her near death experience, courtesy of Sebastian, to really pay attention."You even made a costume change, impressive." Chêne said.

"Hn, It took you long enough." Ciel said as he took the clothes and shoes Sebastian handed him. Chêne raised an eyebrow at his attitude, but decided not to comment.

"I decided to bring a copy of today's newspaper as well since there had been some difference of opinion on what century we are in." Sebastian said, looking directly at Chêne. She scowled at him before snatching the paper from him.

"Sorry for having an opinion!" Chêne huffed as she read the date. "Let's see…eh?" The date was there, in big, bold print: _1885._ Not only that, but Chêne had seen a paper from around this time before in a display at a museum back home. It was made with the same type of paper, same ink, same typeface, and the pictures weren't photos, they were sketches and engravings. The only real difference between the two was that the one in her hands was in mint condition and hot of the press.

"_Fudge."_ Chêne said, running her hands through her hair. "Well, either I imagined the last sixteen years of my life, or I traveled back in time…I'm _really_ hoping it's the second one, because I _refuse_ to go to a mental hospital." Sebastian handed Chêne her bundle of clothing.

"Thanks." Chêne said politely. "…Is that a _corset_?" she asked in disbelief when she realized her bundle included not only a Victorian style dress and shoes, but also a corset, petticoats, and other undergarments. The whole bundle felt like it weighed at least 15 lbs. "Where did you get all this?" She asked. Sebastian smirked deviously. "No, on second thought, don't tell me. I have a feeling I don't want to know." Chêne sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She eyed the corset with hostility.

"Is there a problem?" Ciel asked. "Oh, I suppose you'll need help putting that on won't you?" Chêne raised an eyebrow at Ciel.

"Um…no, I'd actually rather not wear it." Chêne said. "One of my friends talked me into wearing a corset when she dragged me to a renaissance festival with her one time. It was like being stuffed into a dull iron maiden – really painful, and really hard to breath." She sighed. "But on the other hand, my bra is dirty and bloodstained, so I don't really want to wear that either…"

"You could just wear nothing at all." Sebastian suggested. He was sporting a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne decided he was having way too much fun messing with her. If Sebastian weren't an all-powerful demon that could snap her like a twig, he'd already have her handprint tattooed on the side of his handsome face.

"Ugh, corset it is then. The pressure might help keep my wounds from bleeding." Chêne said as she hung her head in defeat. She blushed and avoided making eye contact as she added, "I'll need help lacing it up in the back though…"

=†=†=†=†=

**Ciel's POV**

Since Ciel was too used to having his servants dress him, and he was the one with the least amount of clothes on at the moment, they had agreed that Sebastian would dress Ciel first while Chêne went a few yards away to give him privacy and to change into her new undergarments before Sebastian helped her into the corset. Chêne clearly did not like the idea of Sebastian seeing her like that, but beggars can't be choosers. Once he was fully dressed and while he waited for Chêne and Sebastian, Ciel pondered what Chêne had said about her being a time traveler.

'…I did just witness her materialize out of thin air.' Ciel thought. He glanced at Sebastian as the demon returned to his side. 'Also, if demons are real…I do not see why time travel cannot be possible.' Ciel concluded. 'It's better than the alternative, at least.' "Where is Chêne?" He asked Sebastian. "Why did she not return with you?" Sebastian smirked, clearly amused.

"She's still struggling to put the dress on." Sebastian said. "She accepted my help with the corset, but then she insisted on doing the rest herself. They heard a muffled thump and an "Ow!" a few yards away. Sebastian snickered. "She is a rather entertaining human, is she not? I wonder, is the _Young Master_ entertaining as well?" Sebastian said, teasing him. Ciel scowled at him.

"Do not put me in the same category as Chêne." Ciel said sternly. "That girl is abnormal."

"_Who's_ abnormal?" Chêne asked indignantly as she came into view. Ciel had to admit; the modest, dark-green dress Sebastian had given Chêne suited her rather well. She finally looked like a lady. She was rather pretty.

"Well, I would not call someone who can travel through time _normal_. Would you?" Ciel said, smirking at her. Chêne's eyebrows flew up in surprise.

"You believe me? You don't think I'm crazy?" Chêne asked hopefully.

"After all of the events I have just witnessed within the last few hours, I'm willing to be a little open-minded." Ciel admitted. Chêne launched herself at Ciel and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh thank you, Ciel! I'm so glad you decided to believe me!" Chêne squealed, radiating pure happiness. Her smile was blinding.

"…Can't…breathe…hurts…" Ciel managed to say while Chêne unintentionally smothered him. She gasped and immediately released him.

"Ah! Sorry, I was just so relieved…I forgot you were injured, and I'm a hugger, so naturally I …sorry…" Chêne said, laughing nervously.

"Just do not let it happen again." Ciel said, coughing to cover his embarrassment at being hugged like that by someone he barely knew.

"Well, I'm glad Sebastian didn't eat you while I was gone." Chêne teased him. Ciel scowled at her, and Sebastian smirked.

"Why, I would never." Sebastian said, a little too innocently. "My contract requires that I must stay by my master's side, protect, and serve him as his butler until he either realizes his revenge, or he dies. I am required to remain faithful to the very end. Despite our illustrious reputation as deceivers, demons do not tell lies, unlike humans." Chêne eyed him for a moment, carefully considering his words.

"Alright, fair enough." Chêne conceded. No matter how much she didn't like the idea of Ciel becoming the demon's next meal… What's done, is done. It was between Ciel and Sebastian.

"You may not lie, but I bet you don't always tell the whole truth either." Chêne said, smirking at Sebastian.

"Indeed." Sebastian replied, his eyes glowing as he smirked back.

"When the two of you are quite finished flirting with each other, I'd like to discuss our next course of action." Ciel deadpanned. Chêne blushed.

"I was _not_ flirting with him!" She said, stomping her foot. Oh yeah, real mature. Ciel almost rolled his eyes at her. Sebastian smirked. He could use this as ammunition to tease the girl with later.

"Your orders, master?" Sebastian asked.

"I'm going home." Ciel stated, determinedly. "Are you coming, Chêne?" Chêne blinked in surprise. She had not really expected that.

"I'm invited too?" Chêne asked. Ciel nodded.

"It is not as though you have anywhere better to go. You don't even know how you came here, let alone how to go back, correct?" Ciel said bluntly. He was right of course, Chêne had no clue how to get home, and she really did have nowhere else to go.

"Thanks, Ciel." Chêne said, smiling gratefully. "I don't know what I'd do without you – probably die in a ditch somewhere – I can be your maid, no problem."

"I did not mean you had to be a servant." Ciel said. Chêne tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"Well, what else would I do? Besides, you know what they say, 'Those who don't work, don't eat.'" Chêne said.

"Very well." Ciel said. "Take us home, Sebastian."

Crimson eyes glowed as the demon smirked and bowed.

"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian said.


	5. That Butler, Skilled

We're finally starting the first manga chapter, yay! I'm going to try to stay as faithful to the cannon as I can, but keep in mind that I might have to change some things since there's a new character. A variable is bound to change the equation, right? Also, I'm going to try to keep Chêne human, but a certain someone – you know who you are – is starting to bug me to make her something supernatural…yeah well, we'll see. By the way, I rated this story as 'T' for language and violence, but if you think it's more 'M' let me know and I'll change it

As usual, I don't own anything.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Skilled<strong>_

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><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

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><p>{Two years later – The Phantomhive Manor}<p>

A Short distance from London, just beyond the fog-cloaked forest, there stands a well-kept manor house. Its resident is the head of the Phantomhive family, a distinguished aristocrat. His day begins with a cup of early morning tea.

"Young Master, it is time to wake up." Sebastian Michaelis, the butler of the Phantomhive family said as he entered the room with a serving cart loaded with breakfast. He was followed into the room by the head maid, Chêne LeBeau. Their young master, the Earl Ciel Phantomhive, just mumbled something and rolled over back to sleep again. Chêne tsked at Ciel, and threw open the curtains of the room's sunniest window.

"Rise and shine, Ciel!" Chêne cheered loudly. She smiled brightly at the glare Ciel shot her for such a rude awakening. You would think he would be used to it by now. Sebastian gracefully poured the tea and served it to Ciel.

"For today's breakfast, I have prepared poached salmon and mint salad. Toast, scones, and pain de campagne, have been prepared by Chêne as an accompaniment." Sebastian informed Ciel. "Which would you prefer?" Ciel sat up and yawned lightly.

"…Scone" Ciel answered sleepily as he took the tea. "This aroma…Ceylon tea, hm?" Chêne selected Ciel's outfit for the day and laid it out on the bed. Ciel nodded in approval, and she left to start her other chores for the day and to give Ciel privacy while he dressed.

"Yes, and we will be using the Royal Doulton dishes." Sebastian replied as he buttoned Ciel's shirt. "The tea set is Wedgewood Blue and White."

"And the schedule for today?" Ciel asked. Sebastian began fixing Ciel's necktie.

"Professor Hughes, an authority in kingcraft, will arrive after breakfast." Sebastian said as he finished tying the bow. "After lunch…"

=†=†=†=†=

_***BONG! ***_

Chêne hit the gong a hard as she could. Sebastian stood in the middle of the courtyard in a Mexican standoff with an Asian martial artist, who was in a stereotypical kung fu pose. It was silent except for the whooshing sound of the wind and the rustle of a random tumbleweed as it rolled by. Chêne wasn't quite sure what a plant that belonged in the American 'wild west' was doing in the English countryside, but it did add to the atmosphere. She and Mister Tanaka stood beside Ciel, who was lounging in a chair with a glass of ice-cold lemonade. Bard, Mei-Rin, and Finni stood off to the side, waiting in anticipation of Sebastian's latest duel. The kung fu hustle man decided to strike first.

"Huaaah~!" The man cried as he began waving his arms around. He struck a pose and shouted, "Take this! Secret technique! The beauties–of–Nature–Blooming–in–Glory–Fist!" Kung fu man lunged at Sebastian.

Sebastian calmly readjusted his gloves, and narrowed his eyes slightly at the man before striking faster than the blink of an eye. Chêne thought she heard a slicing sound, but she couldn't be sure. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that it looked like Sebastian barely even touched him, kung fu man now looked really roughed up, and his clothes were tattered.

'Just what did Sebastian _do_?' Chêne wondered.

"Gya–hah!" The kung fu man coughed, blood trickled down the corner of his mouth. "T–That was our school's ultimate secret hidden technique! When–the–Fierce–Tiger–and–Dragon–Roar–Ten–Thousand–Flowers–Scatter–and–Split–Fist…What in the world are you!"

Chêne raised an eyebrow. Didn't the guy know any techniques with names that weren't fifty syllables long? Sebastian clapped his hands together, removing any dust that might have gotten on them and looked back over his shoulder at kung fu man.

"I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage a technique as elementary as this." Sebastian said coolly before whipping around to face Ciel. Sebastian smiled his trademark shit-eating grin. "Now then, Young Master. As I have won this battle, please review what you did today and prepare for tomorrow's lessons until dinner time, as promised."

"Tch!" Ciel clicked his tongue and scowled in disappointment while Bard, Finni, and Mei-Rin 'oohed' and 'aahed' over Sebastian's latest triumph Chêne had come to affectionately think of the trio as the 'three stooges.' She smiled sympathetically at Ciel. Really, Sebastian was just _too_ perfect.

"What else did you expect, Ciel?" Chêne teased the boy that she had come to think of as the 'cute but bratty younger brother she never had.' Ciel just looked away. Apparently he was not going to dignify that with a response.

"You're amazing Mister Sebastian!" Finni gushed, eyes sparkling in admiration. "That makes fifty wins in a row!"

"Y-You struck like water, Mister Sebastian!" Mei-Rin said blushing.

"Ain't our butler flippin' awesome?" Bard said.

"Keh! And after I went to the trouble of going to mysterious lands to bring back an expert in Chinese martial arts…I thought for sure I'd see you on you're knees today." Ciel said.

"That is most unfortunate, Young Master." Sebastian said in an ever so _slightly_ patronizing tone, still smiling.

"I told you we should've gone to Japan." Chêne said. She had always wanted to visit Japan, land of the samurai, manga, and sushi…maybe enjoy a hot spring or two…buy a katana…

"Hmph, you just want to go there to play around." Ciel said, correctly guessing her true motives. She laughed.

"Yeah, you got me, but samurai really are great warriors." Chêne said. "Although I think there might actually be a sword prohibition going on there right now…"

"Anyway, well done, Sebastian." Ciel said, handing his butler the glass of lemonade. "Here, drink this, in one gulp."

"Mister Tanaka kept it cool." Chêne told him. Tanaka smiled as Sebastian accepted the glass. Chêne liked Tanaka. He reminded her of her deceased grandfather.

"Thank you." Sebastian said and gulped the whole thing down just as Ciel had told him to. Chêne giggled as she watched Finni and Mei-Rin continue to cheer for Sebastian enthusiastically. "By the way…" Sebastian said as he set the glass back on the table "…What are all of you _doing_ here?" Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finni flinched. "Finni. Have you finished weeding the inner courtyard?" Sebastian asked sternly.

"Ah!" Finni gasped when he realized he forgot.

"Mei-Rin. Have the sheets been laundered?" Sebastian turned on her next.

"U-Umm…" Mei-Rin stuttered as she blushed and fiddled with her fingers nervously.

"Bard. Were you not supposed to be preparing dinner?" Sebastian demanded.

"Tch." Bard clicked his tongue as he looked away and scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Chêne. I trust you have already dusted the salon and polished the banister of the main staircase?" Sebastian said.

"Actually, I–" Chêne began only to be cut off. A vein mark throbbed on Sebastian's head.

'Uh-oh.' Chêne thought. She could almost see electricity crackling in the background and little horns form on Sebastian's head…not that he really had horns to begin with…

"If you have time to loaf around here, go do your work!" Sebastian glared and scolded them. The three stooges ran like the wind, but Chêne calmly remained behind.

"Well?" Sebastian demanded when he saw was not leaving. Chêne smiled her own shit-eating grin.

"Actually, I already did it!" She said brightly. Tanaka picked up the lemonade glass and began to refill it.

"Speaking of _work_, Sebastian…" Ciel said, standing up. Sebastian pulled the chair out for him. "I got a call from him, in Italy."

"From Mister Chlaus, sir?" Sebastian asked.

"Yes, I need to talk to you about it. Come." Ciel said. "You too Chêne, since you are free at the moment."

"Very well, sir." Sebastian said and handed Ciel his walking stick. Chêne smiled as she followed them to the Study. Something interesting always seemed to happen whenever they had a guest.

=†=†=†=†=

{Ciel's Study Room and Office}

"…Then, Mister Chlaus himself is coming to England?" Chêne asked.

"Yes. He rang to tell me he had gotten a hold of what I had asked for." Ciel replied. "It seems he went to a lot of trouble this time." Ceil leaned back in the chair behind his desk and unfolded the daily newspaper. "He should arrive by six. We will talk business in here." Ciel smirked at the two servants. "Do you know what this means?"

"Of course." Chêne smirked back.

"We shall provide Mister Chlaus with only the finest hospitality." Sebastian said as he bowed and placed a hand over his chest. He straightened, still holding his chest and glanced at Chêne. "…By the way, Chêne, what in the world did you put in that lemonade from before? The heartburn will not stop..."

Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had never seen Sebastian look even slightly ill before, and here he was with heartburn after drinking lemonade…She pictured Mister Tanaka holding the lemonade glass from earlier and smiling, laughing 'Hoh, hoh, hoh.' Chêne had to suppress a giggle at the contrast.

"Don't look at me! I didn't make it this time." Chêne said, quickly proclaiming her innocence.

"That was Tanaka's special lemonade made with 'Aji x Moto.' Ciel replied. It was a brand of MSG used to season food. "He probably mistook it for sugar since they are both white. I stopped drinking it after one sip." Ciel said.

"Oh, so that's why you made that face of pure disgust earlier." Chêne said, nodding in understanding. Another vein mark appeared in Sebastian's head. If they knew, they should have said something.

"I think, perhaps, it would be for the best if only Chêne was allowed to make lemonade from now on." Sebastian suggested.

"Perhaps." Ciel agreed. "Her lemonade is always the most refreshing without being overly sweet." Chêne shrugged.

"Well, someone has to be better than Sebastian at _something_, even if it's only making lemonade and cooking my family's special seafood gumbo." Chêne said. Sebastian smirked.

"I'm sure it could be even better if only you would give me the recipe." Sebastian said confidently.

"_No._ That gumbo is my family's culinary crown jewel. My great, great, great, great grandmother was given it by her best friend – the wife of the original owner of a _very_ famous restaurant in the French Quarter. The only difference between our version and theirs is we don't add oysters." Chêne told him for the nth time.

"Are you two planning on arguing here all day?" Ciel said sarcastically. "Sebastian, you can harass Chêne once you have completed the tasks I gave you." Sebastian smiled like a Cheshire cat.

"Very well, I shall begin the preparations. If you will excuse us…" Sebastian said, bowing gracefully.

"Don't _encourage_ him, Ciel!" Chêne said indignantly.

"Come along, Chêne." Sebastian said as he smirked and dragged her out the room by her uniform's collar.


	6. That Butler, Skilled2

This is a continuation of the first manga chapter, so I decided to be uncreative and just slap on 2. Unless it's a 'filler' that I'm adding for my OC's charater development, the chapters are going to be in the order they appear in the manga and with the same tittles to make it less confusing. I get confused easily (^_^;) I also noticed that I messed up the years before, so I will fix it, sorry about that!

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Skilled 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is dreams, flashbacks, or stuff like written letters. Don't worry, they'll be labeled somehow.  
><em>

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

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><p>Chêne sighed in defeat once they had entered the hall.<p>

"So, what's on our to-do list?" Chêne asked.

"First," Sebastian said, "is to pick and polish the tableware for today's menu – from the glasses to the large plates. The silverware must shine like a mirror, and I will bring out a spotless new tablecloth. I shall prune the young master's favorite sterling silver roses, removing the dying flowers, weed the approach, and then trim and even out the lawn so that it resembles smooth velvet. Dinner is a vital point of hospitality, so we shall only use the best ingredients. The beef is, of course, something to be fussed over, but the rice, vegetables, salt, and pepper are equally important. I need to go to the market and pick it out directly."

'_This_ is Phantomhive hospitality.' Chêne thought in amazement. Although three years had passed since Ciel took her in as a maid, being from your average 21st century middle-class American family, Chêne just never could get used to all the pomp and circumstance of Victorian Era England.

"Um, I'll go get the food, if you want. That way you can focus on the harder chores, and it'll save us time." Chêne suggested. Sebastian checked his silver pocket watch.

"Yes, I will leave it to you then, but remember, only the _choicest_ of ingredients shall be used. Do not let your ingrained practicality as part the working class sacrifice quality for price. The amount of money I am giving you is the calculated price of how much what I want will cost _after_ tax." Sebastian said. "So, use every penny and hurry back."

=†=†=†=†=

{Several Scenes of Sebastian Making Chores Look Like Art And One Trip To The Market Later…}

"Sebastian!" Chêne called as she entered the kitchen and began unloading the groceries. She knew he would hear her thanks to his _extremely_ sharp hearing. "I'm back!"

"You have good timing." Sebastian said from right behind her. Chêne jumped in surprise and nearly fell over. She clutched her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"How many times do I have to _tell_ you?" Chêne asked darkly. "Do _not_ do that!" She gave the butler a death-glare. "You're seriously gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!" She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. Not very mature for a nineteen-year-old girl, but it made Chêne feel better. Sebastian just smirked at her. "Whatever, this is what you wanted right? Now, don't be mad, but they didn't have any high-quality pieces of that particular cut of beef you asked for, so I got the other cut of beef that the recipe recommended at an _extra_ high quality to make up for it. The price was different, so I have a little change left over." Chêne said as she held out the coins.

Sebastian took the change, but paused for a moment when he saw the amount.

"…What?" Chêne asked.

"I really should send you to the market more often. This beef is not only a much higher quality, but it is usually far too expensive for you to still have this much change left over. They gave you an extra discount." Sebastian said as he pocketed the change until he had time to return it to the safe later.

He washed his hands in the sink. Finding out the manor house – as well most public buildings – had indoor plumbing and flushable toilets had surprised Chêne at first, since they were not supposed to have been so common in Victorian Era yet. Not that she was complaining – Who in their right mind would rather have to empty 'chamber pots' by _hand_. When she had mentioned this to Ciel, worried she had somehow screwed up the timeline, he told her they had been there since he was small, well _smaller_. She soon discovered many things that should not have been invented until _much_ later were scattered through out Victorian England. Sebastian had come up with a theory that instead of simply traveling back through time, Chêne had come from a parallel universe. It explained a lot about the subtle differences really, but it was so much like a bad Sci-Fi made-for-TV movie that Chêne just couldn't bring herself to take it seriously.

"Chêne." Sebastian said, snapping his fingers in front of her face. Chêne jumped slightly. Oops, she hadn't meant to zone out like that, but…hold on a minute….

"Did you just _snap_ at me?" Chêne asked incredulously.

"I wanted to get your attention. If you do not like it then pay attention when you are being spoken to." Sebastian said coolly. Chêne sighed. Okay, he had her there. She shouldn't have zoned out in the first place.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Chêne said.

"I asked what you did to receive such a discount." Sebastian told her. Chêne crossed her arms and tilted her head in thought.

"Well…I didn't do anything in particular…I went to the same merchant you always go to whenever I tag along, since I already know him. I just talked to him for a bit and smiled." Chêne said, shrugging.

"Hmm, I do the same." Sebastian said thoughtfully. "The merchant must fancy you." Chêne snorted.

"Yeah right! I seriously doubt that since most people think I'm _fourteen_ thanks to my baby face and short height of 5'2"." Chêne said, irritated. Sebastian had probably said it just to get a rise out of her since he knew she was sensitive about her baby face. "It's probably because my smile is _genuine_, not calculated." Chêne huffed.

"Yes, I suppose you are right…" Sebastian said. Chêne stared at him.

'What? He never lets me off this easy?' Chêne thought confused.

"I see, you resemble a small animal so much, people cannot help but want to feed and pet you." Sebastian said smiling. Chêne scowled at him.

"Whatever, I'm going to check on Ciel, let me know if you need anything." Chêne called over her shoulder as she left the kitchen before she did something Sebastian would make _her_ regret.

Sebastian smirked at her retreating form. For some reason, Chêne's reactions never ceased to amuse him. He had indeed commented on Chêne's appearance just to get a rise out of her. Chêne had a healthy dose of self-confidence, so she was actually very happy with her own appearance, but she still did not enjoy being teased about it. Chêne was actually rather attractive. Her petite figure was proportioned very nicely overall, but the first things most people noticed when they saw her, were her height and face, so they assumed she had to be younger.

=†=†=†=†=

***Riiing~! Ring~Ring~! *** the bell labeled _Study_ was ringing.

"My, my…the Young Master knows how busy I am…I wonder what he could want. Perhaps Chêne put him up to this for revenge." Sebastian mused as he cleaned his hands and left the kitchen, pulling on his coat as he went.

Three heads peeked around the corner and watched as Sebastian left. Finni, Mei-Rin, and Bard all had a scheming gleam in their eyes. Tanaka was just behind them in his chibi form. Bard grinned.

"Seeing how Sebastian's all fired up…There's no doubt about it!" Bard said confidently. "We got a guest comin' today!"

"N-Not a doubt in the world at all!" Mei-Rin said excitedly.

"Yay~! We'll get to have a feast! Leftovers!" Finni cheered.

"You fool! That's not the point." Bard said poking Finni in the forehead.

"Eh?" Finni said confused. "It isn't?"

"_No_, This is our chance!" Bard explained. "We're gonna get a step ahead of that Sebastian and surprise him! It's an opportunity for us to professionals to show off our skills. Am I right?"

"Ah! I see!" Finni said. "Okay! I'll make the garden beautiful, like nothing our guest has ever seen before!"

"A-And I'll polish the tea set for our guest to such an shine that it will look like new, yes!" Mei-Rin said.

"Then, I, the great Bard will cook a main course so awesome, our guest's jaw'll hit the floor!" Bard declared.

"Alright, Mission start! We're gonna do our best!" They all cheered and pumped their fists in the air.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, In Ciel's Study, Sebastian…}

"What is it, Young Master?" Sebastian asked. Chêne was indeed in the Study with Ciel, and they were playing one of the Funtom Company's new board games to test it.

"I'm hungry. I want something sweet, like a parfait." Ciel said.

"Ciel, I already told you, you'll spoil your appetite." Chêne said. "If you have to eat at least make it something healthy, like an apple." She rolled the dice so she could make the next move. "Darn_, 'enchanted by the eyes of the dead.'_ Now I've lost a turn." Chêne pouted.

"Just make something." Ciel said, rolling the dice.

"No. I agree with Chêne. If you eat any sweets now, you will be unable to finish your dinner this evening." Sebastian said. Ciel moved his game piece six places, and rolled again since Chêne had to sit her turn out.

"Just make something." Ciel insisted again. He moved his piece to the final space that said _'Happy Ending.'_ Ciel had just won the game. He smirked triumphantly at Chêne.

"_No."_ Sebastian said firmly.

=†=†=†=†=

"…So?" Sebastian asked in an eerily calm tone. "What did you do…to cause all of _this?"_ As always the butler was wearing a shit-eating grin on his face, but the murderous intent that was rolling off of him in waves betrayed his true feelings.

'I think there might actually be a murder tonight…' Chêne thought sweat-dropping. The three stooges had done it again.

The Phantomhive manor now resembled a minor warzone. The garden was completely dead and reduced to an empty lot. The good china…actually the whole china cabinet and _all of its contents_ were in pieces. And last, but not least, the expensive, high-quality beef Chêne had gone through so much trouble to get was charred black beyond recognition. Mei-Rin's glasses were cracked, and Bard…Chêne snickered…Bard had an afro. The unfortunate trio was huddled together and cowering in fear. Tanaka was peacefully sipping his tea.

"I was going to spray herbicide after I finished weeding, but the lid was open!" Finni wailed, tears streaming down his face. "The yard got weeded too!"

"I-I was just going to take the guest tea set out, but I stumbled and fell on the cart… It slammed into the china cabinet!" Mei-Rin explained. Chêne thought that actually sounded like fun…except for the whole demolishing the china part.

"Well, seeee? There was raw meat just lyin' there, so I thought I'd cook it… with my flame thrower…" Bard mumbled.

Chêne sweat dropped. Yep, _something_ interesting always happened when a guest came.

"I see." Sebastian said, holding up a hand to silence them. "The fault is mine for leaving everything to finish all at once. Just calm down."

The three of them, mostly Finni and Mei-Rin, continued to apologize profusely in hopes that they would be spared from Sebastian's wrath. Sebastian was obviously ignoring them. Sebastian held his chin and cradled his elboe with his other hand. He had already made what Chêne recognized as his 'I'm thinking and/or plotting something' pose. He was clearly trying to find some way to still salvage the situation. Chêne sighed. A garden without a hint of greenery, a shattered tea set, a charred main course…Mister Chlaus would be arriving here a little past six. There was not enough time left to obtain more high-quality meat or a new tea set.

'We're totally screwed.' Chêne thought. It was hard to think with the others still begging for forgiveness in the background.

"You should all follow Mister Tanaka's example and act a little more like adul–!" Sebastian began to scold them, but when he glanced at Tanaka, his eyes widened slightly in a 'Eureka!' expression. Chêne followed his gaze wondering what he saw that was so amazing.

'That's it!' Chêne thought excitedly when her eyes landed on Tanaka's Japanese tea cup. The old man looked confused by all the sudden attention. 'Why didn't I think of it before?' Chêne wondered mentally face-palming. She was such a manga nerd back home, and she had been so fascinated by Japanese culture that she had learned as much as could about it. Sebastian clapped to get everyone's attention.

"Silence, everyone." Sebastian ordered. "Listen closely to my instructions and carry them out immediately and _exactly_ to the letter, understood?" Sebastian took Tanaka's cup and held it up for the others to see. "We shall make do with this."

=†=†=†=†=

"Hey Sebastian, is this really gonna be okay?" Bard asked as he watched Sebastian trim away the layers of charcoal until beautiful red beef could be seen again. Chêne was sitting on a stool and drawing the design plan for the garden like Sebastian told her to.

"Yes." Sebastian replied.

"Mister Sebastian!" Mei-Rin called out as she ran down the hall carrying several boxes stacked on top of each other.

"Careful, Mei-Rin, you'll trip." Chêne warned her.

Too late. Mei-Rin tripped and the boxes containing their salvation flew out of her hands and into the air. Chêne gasped. It seemed like everything was happening in slow motion as she watched, horrified, as the boxes containing Tanaka's tea set fell. Sebastian practically flew out of the kitchen and caught not only every single box of china, but Mei-Rin as well. Chêne sighed in relief.

'Really, why do I even bother worrying at all?' Chêne wondered.

"Mei-Rin…I have told you countless times not to run in the manor." Sebastian scolded her while balancing the majority of the boxes in one hand and another on his foot. Mei-Rin blushed tomato red.

"I-I-I-I-I'm sorry. My glasses are broken, and I can't see very well." Mei-Rin stuttered nervously.

'So why were you running?' Chêne thought feeling slightly exasperated with her fellow maid.

Sebastian smoothly kicked the box on his foot up into air and caught it on top of the stack of the other boxes like he was David Beckham.

"But the star of the show is safe." Sebastian said, satisfied.

"Mister Sebastian!" Finni called out as he ran to rejoin them after his trip to the garden shop.

'What is it with all the running today?' Chêne wondered.

"I got the pebbles and other things Chêne asked for, just like you said." Finni said happily as he held up a bag of Iris bulbs. Sebastian smirked slightly.

"Oh, is that so? Good work. Now Then, I shall see to it that everything is taken care of." Sebastian said. "Please leave the rest to me, and you all take a break. Make sure you do not – I repeat DO NOT – touch a thing." Sebastian smiled his shit-eating grin once again."

'He said it _twice_.' They all thought. Since they had been dismissed, the other servants decided to leave Sebastian alone for now.

"Well, I'll just stay out of your way then." Chêne said as she handed Sebastian the design for the garden and turn to leave. Sebastian grabbed her by the back of her collar… this seemed to be turning into a habit for him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sebastian said and raised an eyebrow at her. "You are the only one who is even remotely useful around here."

'Darn.' Chêne thought. She had been hoping to have a rematch with Ciel before their guest came.


	7. That Butler, Skilled3

Here is the third and final part of _That Butler, Skilled. _

Once again, I own nothing.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Skilled3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

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><p>{Outside The Phantomhive Manor, 6'o clock}<p>

A classy automobile screeched to a halt as it pulled to a stop in front of the manor.

"My, my!" said an older gentleman as he climbed out of the automobile. "This is a far cry from home!" He lifted his fedora in greeting to Ciel, who had been waiting for the man on the porch steps while reading a book on economics. "And it has been a while since I've come here too."

"You made it, Chlaus." Ciel said calmly as he stood up to greet his guest.

"Buona sera, Ciel!" Chlaus greeted the boy warmly and pulled him into a hug, clapping him on the back. "Have you been well? Have you grown a little taller?"

"I regret to say I have not." Ciel replied as he led Chlaus into his manor.

"I do beg your pardon! I'm glad you are doing well." Chlaus said good-naturedly.

"You seem to be doing well yourself." Ciel said as the doors opened, revealing all the servants lined up in the main room.

"Welcome, Mister Chlaus." Sebastian said as they all bowed.

"Oh-ho…oh my. You've really cleaned up this old manor house." Chlaus said, slightly surprised.

"We have been expecting you, Mister Chlaus." Sebastian said politely.

"I'll take you coat for you, Sir." Chêne offered, smiling. She liked Mister Chlaus. He reminded her of godfather Drossel Meyer from _The Nutcracker Ballet_.

"Sebastian and Chêne, long time, no see!" Chlaus greeted. "I see you've taken on new staff here. Here's my hat too." Chlaus added as he placed his hat on Finni's head.

"You must have much to discuss with my lord. Dinner preparations will be ready shortly, so please, right this way to the courtyard, Sir." Sebastian said, leading Chlaus to the manor's inner courtyard.

"The courtyard?" Chlaus asked.

"The young master has ordered us to entertain you for all the trouble you have experienced on his behalf during your journey. I hope you find our efforts most agreeable." Sebastian said.

He opened the doors to the inner courtyard, revealing a beautiful garden with elegant irises in full bloom and small natural boulders placed in a sea of pebbles that rippled like the surface of a pond after a stone had been dropped in.

"Please make yourself at home." Chêne added.

"Oh! Delightful! Prodigioso!" Chlaus praised when he saw the elegant scenery. "This is a Japanese stone garden!"

"We have tea ready for you, Sir." Sebastian said as he pulled out Chlaus' chair for him.

"The irises are very beautiful. Bare trees and flowers… this must be what is called 'wabi-sabi'." Chlaus said as he sat down. "I bet this was Chêne's doing somehow. She is the one who mentioned the term when we last met." Chêne smiled a little proudly at his praise.

"Yes." She said smiling. "It was Sebastian's idea to create the garden, but he let me design it."

"Pardon me." Sebastian said as he served the tea using Tanaka's tea set. It was green tea instead of one of the black teas Ciel usually favored. Chêne added honey to Ciel's cup since he preferred sweets to more bitter flavored foods.

"Even the tea is Japanese. I see you are particular about the details." Chlaus said.

'Hmm…I wonder if that's where the saying 'the devil is in the details' comes from?' Chêne wondered.

"I deeply appreciate your kind words." Sebastian said, smiling.

"I think I can look forward to dinner as well. Ha-ha!" Chlaus said jovially.

"A-Amazing, Mister Sebastian!" Finni gushed, starry-eyed from where he, Bard, and Mei-Rin had stealthily (?) hidden amongst the flowers.

"He talked his way though it." Bard muttered. His expression looked as though he had been skeptical about whether or not it would work. "We just don't have any other tea sets."

Ciel leaned one elbow on the table and grinned smugly.

"By the way, Chlaus… about what I asked you for?" Ciel said.

"Ah, I brought it, as promised. Here is the _game_ you wanted. It hasn't been released yet in Italy, so it was quite troublesome to obtain it." Chlaus said meaningfully as he pulled something out of his jacket and placed the game on the table for Ciel to see.

Chêne's eyes widened in surprise, and she somehow managed to keep her jaw from dropping. It was a freaking _Nintendo_. Well, not really. It was actually made by the Ninkyodo Company. It was a game called _'Mouse 3'_, and according to the box, it was for use with the Ninkyodo 'Game Guy _Advance'. _

'That _definitely _shouldn't exist yet!' Chêne screamed in her mind.

The technology that made video games possible wasn't even available until after her _parents_ were born, and all they got was _'Pong'_ on their _computers_. All these time paradoxes were giving her a headache. The only comfort was that the 'technology timeline' had been screwed up before she even got there.

"Hmph! Trouble, hn? So you keep stressing since this morning's phone call." Ciel observed.

"Of course. The prince gives his servant a fitting 'reward' for his efforts after all!" Chlaus laughed.

"I do hope this game is worth the 'reward' though." Ciel said coolly. "The one I _finished playing_ the other day had such a tiresome ending." Ciel leaned back and braced one of his feet on the table, using the leverage to rock his chair a bit.

"Really now! Games are easily completed by the hands of children like you, Ciel. Soon you will be asking for another one." Chlaus said.

"Of course." Ciel replied, smirking deviously, the atmosphere around the boy seemed to darken with the gravity in his words. "_Children _are greedy when it comes to _games_." Chêne had the feeling this conversation had a double meaning. Ciel was referring to an entirely _different_ kind of _game._

"And so at the tender age of twelve, you've made Phantomhive the number one toymaker in the country." Chlaus sighed wryly. "I fear for your future."

"Please pardon the interruption. Dinner is served." Sebastian said. "On the menu is our Chef Bardroy's Gyu-Tataki Don." In truth, Bard had sliced and layered the meat only.

'Don?' Ciel and Chlaus both gave Sebastian a blank stare, flabbergasted. Sebastian set the bowl of sliced meat and rice in front of Chlaus.

"This… is dinner?" Chlaus asked.

"Yes." Sebastian said, still smiling.

"I was expecting a Kyoto-style full course meal or something…" Chlaus said.

'What? But isn't that just supposed to be for a Tea Ceremony?' Chêne thought.

"Mister Chlaus, did you not know…?" Sebastian asked.

Chêne could see sparkles around him – a good indication Sebastian was about to blindside the man and overthrow common sense in order to completely B.S. his way through.

"Donburi has been used as a feast to express gratitude to laborers. A dish given as a treat to a person who has rendered great service…_**That is Donburi!"**_ Sebastian proclaimed dramatically with flourish. You could practically see Ukiyo-e style waves crashing in the background during Sebastian's passionate speech. Chlaus looked even more stunned now. Even Ciel looked overwhelmed. Chlaus' eyes were white and Ciel had an idiot hair curling off the top of his head. "'Houhan,' a court dish for which the masses yearned, is said to be the origin of Donburi. Furthermore, I thought Mister Chlaus' palate might have grown tired of elaborate dishes, and I planned this meal so that you might eat only the choicest of meat simply." There was that shit-eating grin again.

"Wonderful Mister Sebastian!" Finni cheered quietly. Somewhere in the confusion, the three stooges, Tanaka, and Chêne had retreated to peak from behind the doors that led back inside the manor.

"Nice follow!" Bard cheered.

"Tch. I'm the one who told him all that in the first place. It's a true story, by the way." Chêne mumbled. Chêne had told Sebastian that story two years ago, but he had acted like he wasn't even listening…

"Hoh-hoh!" Tanaka added.

"Next is my job!" Mei-Rin said. "I can't mess up!"

"Oh!" Chlaus said, snapping out of his information overload. "Hahaha! Ciel! This is great! You always surprise me! A lot of the fellows in this business lack a sense of humor, but I think we will continue to get along just fine."

"I'm glad to hear that." Ciel said, smiling smugly.

"We did it! It was a complete success!" Finni cheered. Bard pumped his fist in the air triumphantly, and Tanaka threw confetti.

"Shh! Keep it down ya'll, he'll hear." Chêne whispered.

"I did not know the Japanese Donburi had such a history behind it. You really are an intellectual." Chlaus praised Sebastian. Chêne pouted.

"Like I said, it was _me_…taking credit for other people's work…" Chêne muttered darkly while digging her nails into the doorframe.

"That is most kind of you, Sir." Sebastian said, smirking at Chêne. She scowled at him. He knew just how to push her buttons. A vein throbbed on Chêne's forehead.

'You'd better watch yourself, Michaelis. I'm PMSing and cannot be held accountable for my actions if you piss me off.' Chêne thought sending Sebastian a _blinding_ shit-eating grin.

"As you said," Chlaus continued, "I have grown weary of full-flavored Italian dishes. Thank you."

"I also selected an Italian wine to suit your taste, Sir." Sebastian said, cuing Mei-Rin to pour the wine. "…" Sebastian stood there in silence for a moment. Mei-Rin was off in her own little world. "Mei-Rin." Sebastian whispered into her ear as he leaned close to the maid, their faces only an inch apart. "Stop staring and pour the wine into the man's glass." Mei-Rin blushed such a deep shade of red, she was almost purple, and her glasses cracked even more.

'Oh, brother…' Chêne thought rolling her eyes at Sebastian's actions. She had a feeling this would _not_ end well as she watched Mei-Rin wobble over to the table.

"…Hey." Bard said.

"Yeah?" Finni asked curiously.

"Isn't there something wrong with the little lady?" Bard asked. Mei-Rin was mumbling something about Sebastian, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"…You know, now that I think about it… why is Mei-Rin serving the wine? Shouldn't I do it since she broke her glasses earlier? She probably can't see…" Chêne said. Bard gaped at her.

"Say these things sooner!" Bard said. "What if she – Ah!"

"Aaah!" Finni yelped. "Miss Mei-Rin! You're spilling the wiiiine!" Finni said, panicking.

Chêne sweat dropped. At least Chlaus was too busy chatting away and admiring the garden to notice, but the wine was still pouring out of the bottle. At this rate, all their efforts will have been for nothing. Ciel sat at his end of the table, frozen mid-bite. He looked appalled as he and Sebastian watched the wine steadily flow towards the edge of Chlaus' end of the table. Finni and Bard were in full freak-out-mode while Tanaka made origami cranes, blissfully unaware of the impending doom. Chêne stared as a single drop of red wine rolled off the edge of the table and towards Chlaus' lap.

_***Fwhiiip!***_

At the very last second, Sebastian swiftly yanked the tablecloth, causing the end to flutter up and catch the drop of wine. Sebastian continued to pull the tablecloth, quickly removing it without knocking a single thing over. Bard was so shocked his cigarette actually fell out of his mouth for once. Chêne sighed in relief. That was even more nerve-wrecking than when Tom Cruise had to catch his own sweat in _'Mission Impossible'_. Finni, Bard, and Chêne quickly dragged Mei-Rin back inside.

"…Nn?" Chlaus said in confusion when he noticed that where there was once a pristine white tablecloth, there was now a shiny wooden tabletop. "O-Oh! W-Where did the tablecloth go?" Ciel smirked.

"I had it removed because there was a _slight stain_ on it." Ciel said carelessly. "Don't trouble yourself."

"Excuse me for our grave discourtesy." Sebastian said bowing. "Please relax and enjoy your meal." Sebastian went back inside to dispose of the stained tablecloth. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"That was quick thinking, as always. Thanks for the hard work." Chêne said and took the tablecloth from him to clean it before the stain set.

"You're wonderful! That was amazing, Mister Sebastian!" Finni Cheered, bouncing up and down.

"Yay! Yay! The hero returns!" Bard cheered. Tanaka placed an icepack on Mei-Rin's head. The poor thing had been practically reduced to a puddle after her close encounter with Sebastian, butler extraordinaire. Bard clapped Sebastian on the shoulder. "In my country, we'd call a guy like you 'Superman'."

"I am no 'Superman,'" Sebastian said, "I am simply one _hell_ of a butler." He smirked.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back With Ciel And Chlaus…}

"Your butler is most skilled, Ciel." Chlaus said.

"Heh… skilled?" Ciel said, smirking. "He only did what was expected of him as my servant."

"You're tough," Chlaus said, laughing, "but a talent like that would be hard to find, even if you looked all over Britain."

"Of course, but that's not the only reason I hired him." Ciel said, twirling his spoon. "I have never had sweets that tasted better than Sebastian's."

"Sweets?" Chlaus asked slightly stunned. "…Pfft… Ha-ha-ha! That's certainly a very important reason for a child!"

"I'm looking forward to today's dessert." Ciel said smiling.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Manor's Downstairs, The Kitchen}

"Wah~! It looks yummy!" Finni said when he saw what Sebastian was making.

Chêne the sweet scent pervading the air had Chêne's mouth watering as she watched Sebastian make today's dessert, _Apricot and Green Tea Mille-feuille_. The tantalizing dessert was made with three layers of crème pâtissière, nestled between four layers of flaky puff pastry. It was garnished with a dollop of cream on top, drizzled caramel and apricot sauce, and a side of green tea sorbet. The three of them were leaning on the kitchen counter next to Sebastian, stacked up like some weird totem pole.

"Smells yummy too." Chêne said as she suppressed the urge to drool.

All three of their stomachs growled, and Sebastian sweat dropped. Chêne, who was the shortest, and therefore on the bottom, felt something wet hit her head. She realized Finni and Bard actually _were_ drooling now.

"Ugh – Guys!" Don't _drool_ on me! That is _so_ gross!" Chêne exclaimed as she shuffled out from underneath the waterfall of drool. "Sebastian, I've been emotionally scarred, thanks to your talent. I demand comfort food as compensation!"

Sebastian glanced at Chêne and sighed. Chêne _loved_ sweets. Coming between Chêne and sweets was like trying to give an Alligator root canal surgery, do-able, but you were more than likely to loose a limb. Sebastian was simply not in the mood for such a hassle.

"If you behave yourselves like good little children for just a bit longer, I shall give you some of this dessert as a reward." Sebastian conceded.

"Yaaaay~!" Finni and Chêne cheered excitedly. Bard started trying to wake Mei-Rin up so she wouldn't miss it. Tanaka had already started eating, and was happily munching away.

'Now that I think about it…' Finni thought as he recalled the events of the day, '… What I bought were iris bulbs… How did he make them bloom so fast?'

=†=†=†=†=

{The Inner Courtyard, Currently A Japanese Stone Garden In Full Bloom}

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Sebastian announced to Ciel and Chlaus, wheeling the dessert cart up to the dinner table. "Dessert is served." The butler smiled like a Cheshire cat, as a breeze gently blew through the night, perfumed with the delicate scent of irises.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back Downstairs With The Other Servants…}

'Well, whatever~! I'm getting a reward!' Finni thought, drooling happily.

"We're gonna eat 'em all!" Bard told Mei-Rin in one last attempt to wake her. Chêne, who had been trying to shake Mei-Rin awake, looked up and saw that Tanaka had already finished off all the pastries.

"Too late." Chêne said, a river of tears streaming down her face. 'Good bye, my love, my sweet, sweet dessert!' Chêne thought dramatically, sitting in her own little 'corner of woe.'


	8. That Butler, Very Skilled

So now we're finally on chapter two of the manga! I just want to take the time to thank everyone who's still reading – Lots of love ya'll! Oh, I just realized that I forgot to mention this, but unless specified, the POV is third person omniscient.

I do not own anything.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Very Skilled<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>{London, A Short Distance From the Manor}<p>

***Jingle~! Jingle~!***

A bell rang as Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne entered a shop. Sebastian had ordered a new walking stick for Ciel yesterday, and Ciel had insisted on coming to pick up it up in person. The shopkeeper was an old man that Chêne thought resembled a balding Santa Claus. Only, the man did not have a beard, just a mustache… no red suit either, just normal menswear. He _was_ wearing spectacles though…Okay, so maybe he didn't look like Santa…

"Welcome, _boy_." The shopkeeper greeted Ciel. "On an errand for your father?" Ciel twitched and furrowed his brow, clearly affronted by the old man's words. Chêne sighed internally.

'Bad move, old man.' Chêne thought. Sebastian stepped forward, smiling and holding out the receipt.

"_Excuse me._ I have come to retrieve my _Master's_ walking stick." Sebastian said politely. The shopkeeper took the receipt.

"Aah, yes." The shopkeeper said in recognition as he turned and retrieved the stick. "The owner of this stick… I was wondering who in the world would use a stick as short as this."

Ciel glared at the man. Chêne frowned slightly at the man. She could tell the shopkeeper wasn't trying to be malicious, but to treat a customer like this… The air in the shop was starting to feel heavy. Ciel's foul mood had started to affect his surroundings. Although Chêne had no idea how Ciel managed to do that, she did know one thing. Things would not end well for the shopkeeper if he didn't learn how to read the atmosphere soon. The man continued to speak, totally oblivious.

"I never considered it might be a _child_–"

_***Whoosh!***_

The shopkeeper's last sentence was cut short when Sebastian suddenly whipped the walking stick around and thrust it straight between the man's eyes, stopping just half an inch from his face. Sebastian had a serious and disturbingly calm look on his face. The man was blue from shock and trembling, shaking in his boots. Sebastian smiled his infamous shit-eating grin.

"Why, I detect not a single bend. What a magnificent walking stick." Sebastian said tossing a coin purse that was practically overflowing on the counter. "Please keep the change." Chêne sighed and shook her head. Sebastian was such a bully.

=†=†=†=†=

"Really…" Ciel said, strolling down the street with his new walking stick in hand. "Finni's ridiculous strength is nothing but a pain. I had to get a new stick because of it." That's right, the whole reason Ciel had to have a new stick made was because Finni had somehow managed to snap the old one clean in half. Chêne had found Finni holding the broken stick and bawling his eyes out, sobbing about how sorry he was, and she just couldn't bring herself to yell at Finni whenever he had that 'kicked puppy' look… so Chêne had decided to take the blame. Of course, Sebastian immediately knew who the real culprit was since Chêne was far too weak to do such a thing.

"Indeed. You have my deepest apologies, Sir." Sebastian said, smirking and placing a hand over where his heart should have been. They did not know if he actually had one... "Though you failed to grow any taller, you had to go to all this trouble."

Chêne giggled. She just couldn't help it. Besides, what did a twelve-year-old need a pimp cane – I'm sorry – _walking stick_ for in the first place? A vein popped on Ciel's head.

"Hmph! Why are _you_ laughing? You have not grown an inch for the past _two years_ now. You are only two inches taller than me." Ciel reminded Chêne.

"Yeah, but I'm nineteen and a girl, Ciel. Technically, I'm finished with puberty, so I'm not supposed to grow anymore. Didn't I cover the stages of puberty for males and females last week when your science tutor couldn't make it?" Chêne said.

Ciel scowled at her. That had been a particularly awkward lesson for him when Chêne had insisted on teaching about women's menstra – about 'that time of the month.' Ciel shuddered at the memory. He had learned more about the human body in that one afternoon than he had ever hoped to in his entire life, and worst of all, Sebastian had been far too amused by the entire situation.

"Is that not even worse?" Ciel asked, his tone a little more acidic than he had meant after his recollections. "You will be stuck at a measly height of 5'2" for the rest of your life. I, on the other hand, am still capable of growing." Ciel smirked challengingly at Chêne. Chêne just shrugged and smiled.

"At least I never have to worry about being taller than the guy I like. As for _why_ I'm so short, I do have a lot of Irish in me. I could be part leprechaun!" Chêne joked and grinned cheekily.

"There is no such thing." Ciel grumbled. Chêne raised and eyebrow.

"How do _you_ know? After what we've seen…" Chêne glanced at Sebastian out the corner of her eye. Sebastian smirked.

"Chêne also has _those_ dreams from time to time." Sebastian said.

Personally, Sebastian had never met a leprechaun, but he could not resist teasing the young master, and he had occasionally overheard Chêne talking in her sleep when he dusted the library since she had a habit of sometimes falling asleep while reading. In fact, she had been mumbling something about Finni breaking Ciel's 'pimp cane' just an hour before it happened. Sebastian had asked her about the dream after the fact, but she had just tilted her head in confusion. Chêne hardly ever seemed to remember her dreams, a pity really.

"That is merely a coincidence." Ciel said dismissively. Chêne giggled softly at Ciel's stubbornness. To the unknowing eye, the young Earl appeared to be calm and dignified, but Chêne could tell he was really sulking.

"Look Mama! It's the 'Funtom' Bitter Rabbit! And it's a new one!" A child yelled while admiring a toyshop's window display.

"Come along now, I just bought you some sweets didn't I?" The child's mother said. Chêne smiled at the sight.

The Funtom Company, with strong financial support from the wealthy and the petite bourgeoisie alike, and thanks to its bold business expansion practices is Great Britain's leading confection and toy manufacturer. With never-before-seen novel product concepts, it has achieved rapid growth in just under three years. You see its name here and there in Greater London every day. No one would guess that the head of the company is among the children who love its toys. Sebastian glanced at Chêne out the corner of his eye. The girl had been one of Ciel's greatest resources when he was building his toy empire. It turned out Chêne's goal had been to become a 'graphic designer' when she grew up, so she had learned quite a bit on her own about how advertisements worked. Her advice about product and marketing research and how it could impact customer behavior had turned out to be indispensable. Chêne's stories of her world and its various forms of entertainment had been rather helpful whenever there was a creative slump within the company. Though she played no active role in the company since she had simply opted to give Ciel some friendly advice here and there – as a reward for her help, Ciel had given Chêne a small share in the company despite the girl's protests.

"Now then, Young Master." Sebastian said as he opened the carriage door for Ciel. "Let us return to the manor quickly."

"Oh, yeah!" Chêne said excitedly. "I almost forgot! That program we've been looking forward to is going to start soon, Ciel."

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, Back At The Manor…}

"Aaaaah! I did it agaaain!" Finni cried as he stared at the tree he had _broken in half_. "And after I got scolded just yesterday for breaking the young master's stick! Mister Sebastian will yell at me agaaain!" Finni trembled as he remembered his scolding.

_«« Mini-Flashback ««_

_Sebastian loomed over Finni, emitting a dark and menacing aura. Sebastian's brows were furrowed in irritation and a vein was pulsing on his head. His eyes were veiled in shadow as he glared down at Finni. You could almost see horns on his head. For some reason, Chêne's attempt to cover for Finni had only served to irritate the butler even more._

"_Finni…you have __**absurd**__ strength… So I am always telling you to be careful, am I not?" Sebastian said coldly._

_«« Mini-Flashback End ««_

"Waaah! I promised the young master and Miss Chêne that we'd all watch 'The Wild Earl VIII' together today! Waaaaaah! Help me, Earl!" Finni sobbed. He looked like a kicked puppy. "If I'm being scolded, I won't be able to wa – Nn?" Finni paused when he heard what sounded like hoof beats approaching. "C-Could it be!" Finni gasped excitedly, doing an emotional 180°, his eyes sparkling with hope. An image was already forming in the unfortunate gardener's mind of the Wild Earl on his noble steed, gallantly coming to the rescue. "Maybe it's the Wild Ea–" Finni stopped short and paled in shock as he was very suddenly and roughly snatched away by a mysterious figure. "AH! _Aaaaaaaaah_!" Finni screamed.

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne finally arrived back at the manor.

"We have arrived home, Young Master. I will have tea prepared right away." Sebastian said as he opened the door. Ciel and Chêne froze.

"…" Ciel said, pointing to the inside of his manor. He was blue with shock to the point where he had been momentarily rendered speechless. The idiot hair had curled off the top of his head was sticking up perfectly straight like an antenna. Chêne, although she had not gone blue with shock, was sporting multiple idiot hairs herself.

"S-Sebastian…" Chêne stuttered as she stared straight ahead, stunned. Though their expressions were rather amusing, Sebastian, who had not yet actually looked inside, wondered what could have possibly brought about such a reaction.

"Is something wro –!" Sebastian froze mid-question when he looked to see what the two had been staring at. For a moment he too was shocked when he saw what was wrong. The noble Phantomhive manor had been completely decked out in the most cutesy, frilly, and girly decorations any of them had ever seen. The room was sparkling. It was _**lovely**_.

"What on earth… has happened here…?" Sebastian wondered out loud.

"It's like the rainbow threw up in here…" Chêne said, slightly fascinated and overwhelmed by how the sudden _explosion of color_ had transformed the manor.

"My manor…" Ciel said numbly. The poor boy was clearly in shock. He had taken a huge blow, finding his home violated like that.

"Are you alright, Ciel?" Chêne asked.

"My manor…" Ciel repeated numbly. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Mister Sebastiaaaan!" Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finni wailed as they burst into the room and tackled Sebastian. Chêne had managed to maneuver the still stunned Ciel and herself out of their path before they were run over.

"What is going on!" Sebastian asked as they clung to him and sobbed hysterically. "Rather… _why are you two dressed like that!_?" Bard was wearing a baby bonnet and a bib, and Finni was wearing bunny ears and oversized bunny paws for gloves. Mei-Rin was actually perfectly fine and still in her maid uniform. She had just taken advantage of the confusion to hug Sebastian.

'Can't say I blame her…' Chêne thought, '…wait, _what!_?' Though that thought worried Chêne since it was clearly a Freudian slip-up, now was not the time for a self-psychoanalysis.

"Ask that _crazy girl_!" Bard said angrily jabbing his thumb towards the door of the salon.


	9. That Butler, Very Skilled2

I own nothing.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Very Skilled2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for deams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_What is going on!" Sebastian asked as they clung to him and sobbed hysterically. "Rather… why are you two dressed like that!" Bard was wearing a baby bonnet and a bib, and Finni was wearing bunny ears and oversized bunny paws for gloves. Mei-Rin was actually perfectly fine and still in her maid uniform. She had just taken advantage of the confusion to hug Sebastian._

'_Can't say I blame her…' Chêne thought, '…wait, what!' Though that thought worried Chêne since it was clearly a Freudian slip-up, now was not the time for a self-psychoanalysis._

"_Ask that crazy girl!" Bard said angrily jabbing his thumb towards the door of the salon._

* * *

><p>"Crazy girl…?" Chêne asked, blinking. Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne peeked into the salon.<p>

"This ribbon looks good on you… but this rose looks so cute on you too! I can't make up my mind! But this one definitely looks best! It's really cuuuute~!" A young girl said to Tanaka. "You look just like Marie Antoinette! " The girl was wearing her blond, curly hair in pigtails, and she was dressed in a cute and frilly orange dress. Her emerald green eyes sparkled in happiness.

"Do I? Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Tanaka said good-naturedly. Tanaka… Tanaka was wearing a curly wig that was pulled into an up-do and had wispy tendrils of curly hair loose here and there to frame his face and soften the look. He was wearing a caplet that had a high, lacey collar and bows to tie it shut.

"_**!**_**? Mister Tana—" **Chêne exclaimed before face-faulting onto the floor. She couldn't help it the situation was just so ridiculous.

"Oi, Chêne!" Ciel whispered, trying not to catch the blond girl's attention. Too late, the bubbly girl had turned when she heard the thud.

"Ah! " She said happily lighting up when she saw Ciel.

"Geh!" Ciel paled a bit, and the girl glomped him.

"Ciiiiieeeel~! I missed yooou sooo! " The girl proclaimed as she happily embraced him.

"E-Elizabeth!" Ciel exclaimed nervously. Elizabeth squeezed Ciel tighter and rubbed her cheek against his in a rather aggressive display of affection. Ciel could not even speak. Chêne winced when she heard Ciel's back crack. "Come ooon! I'm always telling you to call me Lizzie! Aaaahn~! You're soooo cuuuute as always! " Lizzie gushed. Sebastian cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Miss Elizabeth…" Sebastian said, taking pity on Ciel for once and distracting Lizzie.

"Oh my! Good day, Sebastian!" Elizabeth greeted Sebastian, releasing Ciel and curtseying.

"It has been quite some time since we last saw you Miss." Sebastian said bowing, perfect manners as always. Chêne knelt down next to Ciel who was panting and wheezing, still trying to recover.

"Just breathe Ciel, breathe." Chêne said rubbing his back gently for emotional support.

"Oh! Chêne is here too!" Ciel quickly shuffled away from Chêne, not wanting to be in Lizzie's line of sight so soon after he had just gotten his breath back.

'Traitor.' Chêne thought wryly.

"Hey, Lizzie!" Chêne said, smiling at the girl. Chêne really did like Lizzie… just in small doses. Lizzie had a tendency to…

"Look, Chêne! I saw this and thought it would look absolutely adorable on you~! " Lizzie said excitedly as she swiftly put a frilly cat-ear-head band on Chêne's head before she could even blink.

They were white, fluffy, and had pink ribbons and bows hanging on the sides of the headband, just under the ears. Yes, that's right… Lizzie had a tendency to force people into _cute_ costumes… Chêne didn't really mind, after all, she was from Louisiana. They dressed up in costumes every year for Mardi Gras… She just didn't like giving Sebastian any ammunition to use against her.

"Sooo cuuute~! I want to pet you!" Lizzie gushed happily.

"Um… Thanks?" Chêne said. 'Why do people like to pet me?' She wondered.

Her old friends used to pet her on the head because her hair was soft, and they claimed she reminded them of a cute and faithful little puppy. She had actually elbowed one of her guy friends in the stomach for it once… he had called her _chienne _instead of Chêne. It meant female dog. So she decided to turn him into her _female dog_ for the day. Sebastian smirked at Chêne.

"It suits you." Sebastian teased her. He was clearly enjoying himself. Chêne narrowed her eyes at him. As much as she wanted to, it simply wouldn't do to let Lizzie overhear the few _choice words_ she had picked out for Sebastian.

"I've brought a present for you too! " Lizzie told Sebastian as she once again used her secret ninja skills to place a bonnet on Sebastian's head.

"Eh…?" Sebastian said a little stunned. Chêne's eyes widened in surprise. She knew Lizzie could be fast when she wanted to, but to pull one over on Sebastian…

"There we go! " Lizzie said happily, satisfied with her handiwork.

It wasn't just any old bonnet. No, this bonnet put Bard's to _shame_. It was exceptionally frilly, with lace trim, and adorned with flowers. It was also _**pink.**_ Ciel and Chêne stared—stunned. Ciel's idiot hair had curled back out again. Sebastian looked sufficiently chagrinned.

"Aaahn, sooo cuuute~!" Lizzie gushed, eyes sparkling. "You're always wearing black, so I thought some color might would be good for you!"

Tanaka was chill as always, but Ciel, Chêne, and the three stooges were shaking, trying to control their laughter. Chêne had doubled over onto the floor. The image of Sebastian, a demon in a pink bonnet, had conjured up the image of an 'LOL Cat' picture she had seen when she was younger. It was an extremely disgruntled looking fluffy black cat that was shooting a death glare at the camera. It had been forced into a pink bonnet and the caption said _'Evil does not wear a fluffy pink bonnet!'_ Chêne couldn't hold it in anymore. She laughed, but Chêne had already passed the point of LOL and was laughing so hard, no sound came out because she couldn't breathe. The three stooges were not so lucky, they cracked, and Sebastian heard it. He gave them a death glare, his face half cast in shadow, that probably would've killed the 'LOL Cat' photographer right through the camera lense. They were lucky looks couldn't actually kill. Chêne took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She noticed Finni, bard, and Mei-Rin were still alive, but barely. They were all on the ground, stacked on top of each other as though they were bloody corpses…Sebastian hadn't moved an inch…okay…maybe looks _couldn't_ kill you, but they could get pretty close…

"I am exceedingly… grateful… for you kindness toward someone such as myself." Sebastian said politely to Lizzie.

"Don't mention it! " Lizzie said happily, oblivious to Sebastian's suffering.

"Ahem." Ciel cleared his throat to got Lizzie's attention, repaying Sebastian for saving him earlier.

Poor Sebastian was in the 'corner of woe' as Chêne liked to call it. He was even attracting ghost lights…While Chêne's initial thoughts had been something along the lines of 'Hah! Serves you right!' Sebastian really did have it _much_ worse than she did…Chêne was at least a girl. She patted Sebastian on the back in a comforting 'there, there' manner.

"By the way, Lizzie… Why are you here? Where is your mother?" Ciel asked. Lizzie hugged Ciel and nuzzled him again.

"I wanted to see you, so I came here without telling her! " Lizzie said.

"Oh, so you're finally going to elope?" Chêne asked, joking.

"What_!_?" Ciel snapped at Chêne. "What were you thinking…?" Ciel asked Lizzie and sweat dropped.

"…Hey, Sebastian, who's the girl?" Bard asked curiously.

Sebastian, though still wearing it, had fully recovered from the bonnet incident. He had revived after teasing Chêne, and he was currently undermining her dignity as a human being by holding her in place while he petted her. Chêne was doing her best to struggle for her freedom, but was getting nowhere fast. She sighed and hung her head in defeat.

'Damn that man.' Chêne thought. She should've known better by now not to let her defenses down.

"Ah. Lady Elizabeth is the young master's Fiancée." Sebastian said bluntly.

"**Fi…**_**!**_**?"** Bard, Mei-Rin and Finni gasped. _**"Fianc**__**é**__**eeeeee!**_**?"**

"Yeah, I was shocked too." Chêne said. "But it seems many British aristocrats are betrothed from birth."

"The young master, Earl Phantomhive, is no exception." Sebastian said. "An aristocrat's wife must be of noble birth as well, and Miss Elizabeth is the daughter of a Marquess."

"Your mother must be worried if you came here without informing her." Ciel told Lizzie. He turned to address his butler. "Sebastian, call—"

"Cieeeel~! Come over heeeere~!" Lizzie said, grabbing Ciel and pulling him away from Sebastian and Chêne. "Look, look! I've made the salon cute too!" They had been too distracted by Tanaka's recent fashion statement and Lizzie's appearance to notice before, but… like the previous room…the salon was _**lovely.**_ There were even stuffed animals in the chandelier. The glare from all the sparkles made Chêne wonder how they could have possibly missed it before.

"My manor, it's…" Ciel said numbly. He looked slightly ill, like he might be going into shock again.

"Oh! I know! Saaay, Ciel? Since the salon is all lovely now, let's have a dance party today!" Lizzie suggested.

"_**!**_**?"** Ciel flinched.

"My fiancé will escort me, and together, we'll dance the night away! Kyaaah~! " Lizzie said dreamily.

"Wha…" Ciel said, twitching. A small vein mark had formed.

"A dance, is it?" Sebastian said.

"Sounds fun." Chêne said.

"Make sure you wear the clothes I chose for you, Ciel!" Lizzie said, clasping Ciel's hands in her own. Ciel sweat dropped.

"Hey…" Ciel tried to say.

"They'll look really cute on yooou!" Lizzie gushed.

"Hey, I never said I'd…" Ciel tried to interrupt her. Lizzie continued on, oblivious to his objections.

"Dancing with Ciel, who'll be wearing an outfit I picked out. It'll be like a dream come true! I have to dress up and look my most stylish toooo~! " Lizzie said dreamily. She was starry eyed, and her aura was positively sparkling. Lizzie had passed the point of no return. Nothing could reach her now that she was in her own little fantasy world.

"Listen when people are talking to you…Hey! Elizabeth_!_?" Ciel said, reaching out to try and grab the bubbly girl to get her attention.

Sebastian put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head at Ciel. The butler's expression clearly said 'my condolences,but arguing is simply pointless.' Ciel weren't so clearly suffering, Chêne might have found the situation, especially the look on Sebastian's face, funny… no, scratch that, it was still funny. Chêne felt some grab her wrist. She looked and saw Lizzie staring her right in the eyes. It startled Chêne for a moment, not because the direct eye contact, Chêne was used to that because she and Lizzie were the same height. No, what made Chêne nervous was the way Lizzie's eyes sparkled when they met hers.

'Uh-oh… this won't end well for me, will it?' Chêne thought warily.

"Come one Chen, I'll make you even cuter too! There's a tail and a really cuuute dress to go with your ears~!" Lizzie said, grabbing Chêne and whisking the older girl out the room.

"Eh_!_?" Chêne said startled. "There's _more!_?"

"Hey!" Ciel shouted after Lizzie multiple vain marks throbbing on his temple. "Listen to meeee!"

=†=†=†=†=

{The Study}

Ciel was slumped onto his desk, his head buried in his arms. He was drained from the mental and physical exhaustion Lizzie had already put him through. Sebastian poured him a cup of tea.

"Miss Elizabeth is the daughter of the Middleford Marquesstate, the family into which Lady Frances, the younger sister of the previous head of this family, married. There is nothing to be done. You cannot brusquely turn your fiancée away." Sebastian reminded Ciel. "Their rank in the peerage is higher, not to mention their wealth."

"I did not _want_ to become her fiancé." Ciel said, sitting up and propping his chin upon on arm. "I was _forced _to."

"Regardless… the best course of action for today would be to simply acquiesce to her fancy and then ask her to leave." Sebastian said. "After all, you have yet to finish playing that game." Sebastian set the tea down in front of Ciel, who picked it up and took a sip.

"Exactly. So just stuff some food in that mouth of hers and send her on her way." Ciel said dismissively. He picked up one of the documents on his desk to read. "I have no time to deal with a little girl's whims."

"But Miss Elizabeth wishes to dance with you…" Sebastian said. Ciel twitched. Sebastian stared at him. "… Young Master." Ciel avoided Sebastian's eyes as he put his cup back down on the table and pretended to read the document.

"What is it?" Ciel asked.

"I have never seen you do so myself… but you _do_ know how to dance, do you not, Sir?" Sebastian said.

"…" Ciel replied as he abruptly spun his chair to face away from Sebastian.

"Haah…I see." Sebastian sighed, slicing Ciel a portion of today's dessert, _Orchard Fruitcake with pears, plums, and blackberries._ "That would explain why you are such a wallflower even when invited to parties." Ciel, still sitting in his chair with his back to Sebastian sweat dropped and clenched the document in his hands, partially covering his face with it, chagrinned.

"…I am busy with work." Ciel said trying to brush it off. "I haven't the time to waste on such sport…"

Sebastian swung the chair back around again.

"I beg to differ, Young Master. Social dancing is called 'social' for a reason." Sebastian told Ciel as he shoved the desert in front of his face. "It is a necessary skill at balls and banquets. A gentleman of the aristocracy must be able to dance." Sebastian said, looming over Ciel in a very imposing manner, smirking. "For if you were to refuse the daughter of a business acquaintance a dance, Young Master's reputation in social circles would plummet…"

"All right, fine! I'll just have to do it then." Ciel said grudgingly, not wanting to hear anymore on the matter. "Call for a tutor, like Madame Bright or Madame Rodkin."

"We do not have time to enlist one of the madams as your dance instructor." Sebastian said after briefly glancing at his pocket watch. "A pretense of skills is enough for today, so let us have you master the waltz, a basic ballroom dance."

"Who would you have teach me then?" Ciel asked sarcastically, "Any way you look at it, the people of this house are out of the question…Chêne at least knows what the waltz is, but she has told me before that dancing is different where she is from, so I doubt she would know."

"Not to worry, Sir." Sebastian said snapping his pocket watch shut. "Brazen though it may be of me, I shall teach you how to dance." Sebastian said. His shit-eating grin was radiant.

"Don't be ridiculous! I can't dance with a tall fellow like you!" Ciel said indignantly. He bristled, feeling as though he might actually break out in hives at the thought of dancing with another man. "_You_ cannot dance the waltz anyway…" Ciel said. Sebastian held a finger out, silencing Ciel.

"Permit me to teach you the _Viennese Waltz_, as I have often visited the Schönbrunn Palace in the past." Sebastian said smirking. "Will you not grant me this dance, My Lord?" Sebastian stood and gracefully extended his arm, holding his hand out to Ciel in invitation.


	10. That Butler, Very Skilled3

I own nothing.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Very Skilled3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

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><p>{In One Of The Many Hallways Throughout The Manor...}<p>

Chêne sighed in relief. Lizzie had finally released her, but not before she had managed to equip Chêne with a matching tail and force her into a super-frilly pastel-pink 'Little-Bo-Peep' style dress that made her look _even younger_. At least the dress didn't come with a matching shepherd's hook, bonnet, and sheep. Chêne looked like a porcelain doll… except she had cat ears and a tail…

'Guess I'll go see what Ciel and Sebastian are up to.' Chêne decided.

=†=†=†=†=

"Are you ready, Sir? The first step is from the heel." Sebastian said, beginning the dance lesson. "Please hold the lady's back firmly."

Sebastian placed Ciel's hand on the small of his back. Ciel quickly moved his hand higher and away from Sebastian's hip… he already felt awkward enough doing this. Once they were in position, Sebastian continued his instructions.

"When the music plays, begin with your left foot…" Ciel clumsily stepped on Sebastian's foot. "Next is the natural turn." Sebastian said, choosing to ignore Ciel's blunder in hopes that it was a fluke.

The pair wobbled as Ciel blundered through the steps as best he could with the huge height difference and his own inexperience. They almost managed to spin, but Ciel went one way, and Sebastian went the other.

"Slide your foot forward." Sebastian said, just wanting to get it over with as soon as possible.

Ciel's foot slid forward alright, right into Sebastian's shin. Sebastian stopped and stared down at Ciel.

*…...*

Ciel was staring back at the butler looking incredibly awkward, nervous, and embarrassed… basically his expression was what Chêne had once referred to as his 'awkward turtle' face. That ousted Sebastian's theory that Ciel might have been purposefully sabotaging the dance. Sebastian sighed.

"It seems you talent for dancing is non-existent. How very catastrophic. You must be crushed, Young Master." Sebastian said, leaning down slightly and giving Ciel a look of pure pity that only served to infuriate Ciel…although, that was probably Sebastian's intention. "You must not hang from 'the lady' so."

"You're too tall!" Ciel shouted, vein mark throbbing and leaning back in an attempt get away from Sebastian. "Ladies don't come in such monstrous heights!"

The Study's door creaked open, and both of them looked to see Chêne standing in the doorway. Her eyes were widened slightly at the sight of the two of them holding each other. With out meaning to, when Sebastian leaned down, and Ciel leaned back, they were now in a position that made it look like Sebastian and Ciel were about to kiss.

"Oh, _excuse me_! I didn't mean to interrupt you two _lovebirds_. I'll just come back later…" Chêne deadpanned, turning back around. The earl and butler gaped at her. Well, Ciel did. Sebastian managed to keep a straight face.

"W-_Wait a minute_! Just what kind of _strange_ misunderstanding are you having here_!_?" Ciel yelled indignantly, immediately separating himself from Sebastian. "Sebastian was just teaching me how to dance!" The poor boy was flushed beet red and mortified. Chêne grinned like the Cheshire cat.

"Yeah, I know. I heard the tail end of your conversation. I was just messing with you." Chêne said brightly. Ciel face-palmed. Chêne noticed Sebastian was staring at her rather intensely. "… What?" Chêne asked him, feeling a little wary. Sebastian shook his head.

"Oh, nothing of consequence." Sebastian replied. Chêne raised an eyebrow at the butler as if to say, _"You really think I'm going buy that?"_ Sebastian raised both eyebrows at her and gave Chêne a clearly exaggerated look of sympathy. "Chêne you know that ensemble makes you look _even_ _younger_, right? Although I must admit, those ears are quite lovely. Perhaps you should consider making that part of your new look permanent?" Sebastian teased her, smirking. His eyes were glowing subtly.

Chêne suddenly felt like a mouse being stalked by a hungry cat… Which was kind of funny considering she looked more feline than he did at the moment… but it wasn't enough to curb her irritation. A vein popped on her forehead.

"Shut up! I don't need your fake sympathy!" Chêne snapped at him. "At least when I'm forty, people will think I'm still in my thirties!" An indecipherable emotion flickered across Sebastian's face for a brief moment, but he smiled his shit-eating grin.

"Yes, I had forgotten. You humans do _expire_ rather quickly, don't you? Although you _still_ look like a _child_…" Sebastian said cynically.

Form some reason this last remark was colder and had a bit more bite in it than usual. Chêne was slightly confused. It almost sounded like Sebastian was bitter about something. It wasn't like this was the first time she had told him to shut up. He usually just laughed it off and smirked mockingly at her.

"Do you two plan on bickering all day, or is _someone_ going to teach me how to dance?" Ciel asked.

Ciel was tired of being ignored, and he could tell something that Chêne had said to Sebastian had put the demon in a fowl mood. Sebastian had not tried to harm Chêne since Ciel ordered him not to kill her the night the demon was summoned, but Sebastian sometimes found loopholes in his orders. So, Ciel thought it might be best not to let Sebastian focus on how upset he was with Chêne.

"What dance?" Chêne asked curiously. She didn't want to give Sebastian time to plot her death either.

"The Viennese Waltz." Sebastian said. He could tell his earlier demeanor had upset the two humans before him. They were better at picking up on subtleties than most, but he had actually not been plotting Chêne's death. To be perfectly honest, Sebastian was not sure why he had been so agitated at the thought of Chêne growing old. All humans died eventually.

"Oh, that's a nice one." Chêne said, smiling. "I've never actually danced it before, but I've seen it once before on TV when I was stuck home from school with the flu."

"I have neither seen nor practiced the dance before today." Ciel said.

"I see, that might explain why you were having so much trouble. It's always easier to learn something when you have an example to copy." Chêne said.

"Fine. Show me with Sebastian." Ciel said. Chêne sweat dropped. Why did Ciel want her to dance with someone who was upset with her naught but two minutes ago?

"Didn't I just say I've _never_ done it before?" Chêne pointed out.

"That is quite alright. I will be leading, Chêne." Sebastian said taking her by the waist and assuming the proper posture for the dance. "Just follow my lead." He smirked confidently at her.

"You're awfully sure of yourself." Chêne said. "Don't get mad if I step on your toes." She joked.

Ciel frowned and looked away, like he was sulking. Sebastian's shit-eating grin widened slightly. 'Oh, I guess Ciel already did that then…oops.' Chêne thought.

"Listen and observe, Young Master." Sebastian said as he picked up the dance lesson where he had left off. "It is said that said that 'social dancing' begins and ends with the waltz." Sebastian was dancing with Chêne as he spoke. For someone who had only seen it once, she was doing rather well, and Chêne was following Sebastian's lead without any verbal instructions, much to Ciel's chagrin. "You must dance formally and with elegance, like so." Sebastian said as he brought the waltz to an end.

Chêne breathed a small sigh of relief. She had managed to get through the whole thing without messing up once. Sebastian really was a good dancer… not that she would tell him… Her heart had been pounding the whole time, and judging by his smirk, Sebastian knew it too.

'Darn, it I've definitely got a crush on him.' Chêne thought feeling a little concerned for her future. 'He's such a bully too… Wait I'm not a masochist, am I_!_? No, I don't like being picked on, so I'm safe… I think…as long as _he_ doesn't know how much I care about him. If he ever does find out, he'll probably eat me alive.'

"Now, it is your turn." Sebastian said, snapping Chêne out of her little self-psychoanalysis. He was addressing Ciel. "Ask Chêne for a dance." Ciel furrowed his brow and strode over to Chêne.

"May I have this dance?" Ciel said stiffly. Chêne smiled. Ciel was so cute when he was trying not to be embarrassed.

"Why of course, dear Earl." Chêne said politely curtseying. Ciel took Chêne by the waist and held her hand as they began to dance. Ciel was doing much better now, but he frowned as he tried to concentrate on the steps. He stepped on Chêne's toes once. She winced, but didn't say anything.

"It seems you have significantly improved. In any case…" Sebastian said as he watched the two humans dancing. "You must first do something about your gloomy demeanor. You do not wish to be rude to the lady." Sebastian pinched Ciel's cheek. Ciel was too stunned to protest right away, but that changed when Sebastian pinched his other cheek and began kneading and pulling on them. Chêne had to suppress a laugh at Ciel's expression. It was priceless. He looked like a normal kid getting a scolding for once instead of a cold and dignified earl.

"He's right, Ciel. I know it might be annoying, but please, at least _pretend_ to be having fun. No one wants to dance with a partner who makes them feel unwanted." Chêne said. "I danced with a guy like that before. It's not fun, just awkward." Ciel blinked.

"Wait, you—" Ciel began to speak, but Sebastian pinched his cheeks a tad harder. A vein popped on Ciel's forehead.

"Now, give us a joyful smile!" Sebastian said patronizingly as he grinned. He was clearly enjoying this. Ciel slapped his hand away.

"Let go! I—! I have long since forgotten… how to smile… joyfully." Ciel said as he clasped his hands and gazed upon his family ring in melancholy.

"Ciel…" Chêne said sadly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you." Her smile faded and she too stared into the alluring blue stone.

"Young Master… Lady Elizabeth is eagerly anticipating your arrival. It would not do to keep her waiting." Sebastian said. This seemed to perk Ciel up a bit. Chêne smiled gratefully at Sebastian for the save. He could be very tactful when he wanted to be.


	11. That Butler, Very Skilled4

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Very Skilled4<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for deams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_He's right, Ciel. I know it might be annoying, but please, at least pretend to be having fun. No one wants to dance with a partner who makes them feel unwanted." Chêne said. "I danced with a guy like that before. It's not fun, just awkward." Ciel blinked._

"_Wait, you—" Ciel began to speak, but Sebastian pinched his cheeks a tad harder. A vein popped on Ciel's forehead._

"_Now, give us a joyful smile!" Sebastian said patronizingly as he grinned. He was clearly enjoying this. Ciel slapped his hand away._

"_Let go! I—! I have long since forgotten… how to smile… joyfully." Ciel said as he clasped his hands and gazed upon his family ring in melancholy._

"_Ciel…" Chêne said sadly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you." Her smile faded and she too stared into the alluring blue stone._

"_Young Master… Lady Elizabeth is eagerly anticipating your arrival. It would not do to keep her waiting." Sebastian said. This seemed to perk Ciel up a bit. Chêne smiled gratefully at Sebastian for the save. He could be very tactful when he wanted to be_.

* * *

><p>{In The Manor's Salon With the Others…}<p>

"You see, I think Ciel looks best in blue!" Lizzie chatted away as Mei-Rin put the finishing touches on her outfit. "When I was out shopping in London today, I fell in love at first sight with the clothes I bought for him. Oh, I know!" Lizzie turned to Mei-Rin. "Why don't you attend the party too? I'll make you cute! Let's take off your glasses first." Mei-Rin struggled to hold her glasses on her face as Lizzie tried to remove them.

"B-But, um… I-I am terribly farsighted, Miss. If I don't have these, I can't see a thing!" Mei-Rin said, panicking.

"If you can see far away, that'll do just fine!" Lizzie said cheerfully.

"That's enough." Ciel said assertively as he made a grand entrance into the Salon, followed by Sebastian, who was carrying his new walking stick, and Chêne. Lizzie immediately turned all of her attention on him. Mei-Rin had managed to escape Lizzie's clutches without a makeover once again.

"Ciel~!" Lizzie said excitedly as she ran to him. She grabbed Ciel's hands and used the momentum to swing the young earl around. He looked a little green around the gills, like he was riding the teacup ride at an amusement park, and the other person was a weight lifting champion on steroids that was spinning their cup at in human speeds. "You're sooo Cuuute! My eyes didn't deceive me! Lizzie said. She abruptly stopped spinning Ciel around. Chêne grabbed the dazed and dizzy Ciel when he stumbled and rubbed his back soothingly to try to help him recover from his motion sickness. "Look, look! Everyone's turned cute!" Lizzie said excitedly as she motioned for Ciel to look at his three other male servants. They were all dressed in drag now. Tanaka was a Japanese noblewoman; Finni was a black-eared cat-maid, and Bard was dressed in a high school girl's sailor uniform and a horrible wig. Bard looked ill, while Finni only looked slightly chagrined. Tanaka was all zen, calm and peaceful. Bard grabbed Chêne.

"How dare you escape all by yourself!" Bard whispered rather loudly while Lizzie continued to chatter away about what was cute and why. Chêne rolled her eyes.

"In case you haven't noticed, I _didn't_ escape. My dignity has been shredded too by this fluffy nightmare she put me in." Chêne whispered back more quietly. Bard seemed to forgive her after he took in the whole effect of her outfit. "Ya' know, that dress makes you look even—"

"Don't say it." Chêne said darkly, glaring slightly at Bard.

"But Ciel is definitely cutest of a—What's this?" Lizzie asked when she saw the family ring still on Ciel's finger. Lizzie grabbed Ciel's hand and loomed over him, emitting a dark aura as she interrogated Ciel. "Ciel! Where is the ring I got you_!_? The cute one that matched your clothes?" Ciel sweat dropped.

"Huh? What ring?" Ciel said as he snatched his hand back. "This ring is just fine." Lizzie did not look like she was going to accept that.

"The gemstone in the ring is a deep-blue like the outfit, so it matches doesn't it? It'll be fine like this." Chêne said, trying to placate Lizzie. It failed.

"I think not!" Lizzie yelled aggressively, a vein popping on her forehead. "I've made you all cute, but that ring isn't cute at all!" Lizzie suddenly burst into tears. "So you don't want to wear the one I bought, Ciel! You're sooo Meaaan! Waaah!" Chêne actually liked Lizzie, but these tantrums made her want to smack some sense into the girl sometimes. It was just a ring, for crying out loud.

"That's not it." Ciel sighed. He did not want to hurt Lizzie's feelings, but he couldn't not wear the family ring. "This ring is…" Lizzie's eyes glinted, scheming, as she snatched the ring right off Ciel's thumb.

"There~!" Lizzie shouted with glee. Ciel's eyes widened.

"L—!" Ciel yelled.

"Got iiiit~!" Lizzie cheered. "See, this ring is much to big for you! The one I chose is just the right size—"

"_**Give it back!"**_ Ciel yelled harshly. Everyone in the room flinched except Sebastian and Tanaka. Sebastian watched Ciel quietly. Ciel glared hard at Lizzie as she held his ring. "Give it back this instant… Elizabeth!" Ciel demanded sternly. Chêne knew why Ciel was upset, but was slightly shocked to see Ciel lose it like that in front of Lizzie.

"W-Why are you so angry?" Lizzie asked, confused. She was starting to cry for real now. "I… was just…" Ciel just continued to glare at Lizzie. "... What is it_!_? I was only trying to make you look cute! So how come you're so angry_!_? You're mean! "I hate…" Lizzie screamed as she raised her hand that was holding the ring. Chêne's eyes widened.

'She wouldn't!" Chêne thought horrified. She rushed toward the girl, past Sebastian who just stood there watching silently, hoping to stop her in time. "Liz—!"

"…This ring!" Lizzie finished screaming as she swung her arm down and flung the ring down onto the floor. It shattered. The blue stone cracked and broke apart. The silver band was bent and smashed. It was damaged beyond repair. Ciel snapped.

"—!" Ciel rushed towards Lizzie in a rage, his arm raised to slap her. Lizzie flinched and cried out in fear as she raised her arms in an attempt to shield herself.

_*** Smack! ***_

The sound echoed throughout the room as Ciel raised his hand to strike again, but someone stopped him by grabbing his wrist. Ciel froze and his eyes widened in shock as he realized what he had tried to do —what he _had_ done. Chêne was standing calmly before him; an angry, red handprint was already forming on her face. She had shielded Lizzie, who was sobbing and clinging to Chêne like a lifeline.

"**Young Master."** Sebastian said firmly as he gripped Ciel's wrist. Ciel looked over his shoulder at Sebastian, warily. There was a thin sheen of sweat on Ciel's brow from being so worked up before. Sebastian stared back at Ciel. "Young Master." Sebastian repeated less harshly. "You have forgotten this walking stick of yours we just had made." Sebastian gently placed the walking stick in Ciel's hand. Ciel was breathing heavily now, trying to calm down. His heart was still beating rapidly from his momentary rush of adrenaline. Ciel gazed despondently at the shattered ring, his eyes partially veiled in shadow. Chêne wanted to comfort Ciel, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate being coddled, especially in front of so many people. So, Chêne stayed by Lizzie's side and held her while whispering soothing words as she cried.

"Excuse us, Miss Elizabeth." Sebastian said, bowing. "That ring is very important to my master. It has been passed down through the Phantomhive family for generations. It was the only one of its kind in the world. Please forgive my master's discourtesy."

"Eh… _!_?" Lizzie gasped, clearly distressed. "It was… such a precious ring… and I…" Ciel kneeled down and picked up the ring's remains. "Ciel… I'm—!" Ciel stood and tossed the ring fragments out of a nearby window. Chêne and Lizzie's eyes widened in shock. Sebastian looked mildly surprised. "Wh—Ciel_!_?" How could you_!_?" Lizzie gasped as she rushed to the window.

"I do not care… it is just and old ring." Ciel said calmly.

'Eh?' Chêne thought. 'Then why do I have your handprint tattooed on the side of my face?'

"Whether I wear that ring or not…I, _Ciel Phantomhive_, am the head of the Phantomhive family." Ciel declared proudly. Everyone in the room stared at the young boy in amazement. Even Sebastian's eyes widened for a split-second. Chêne smiled wryly.

'Typical Ciel.' Chêne thought.

"What's with your face?" Ciel asked Lizzie as he picked his top hat up off the floor and dusted it off. Poor Lizzie's eyes were red and puffy from crying… her nose was running a little too…

"B-Because…" Lizzie cried, sniffling. Ciel sighed.

"That face is a fright. Can you even call yourself a lady?" Ciel said as he gently wiped her face with a handkerchief. "I do not want to ask you to dance when you are looking like that." Ciel said, giving Lizzie a sly smile. Lizzie stopped crying and blushed. "The rule of a ball is to forget about bad things and dance the night away. Is that not so, my Lady?" Ciel said smoothly, holding his hand out to Lizzie in invitation.

"…Yes!" Lizzie said, smiling happily as she took Ciel's hand. "It truly is like a dream come true!" Lizzie said as she and Ciel danced about the room. Everyone was smiling now as they watched the happy couple. Sebastian played the violin, accompanied by a small orchestra he had managed to procure at the last minute. Finni, Tanaka, and Chêne took turns dancing together in jest. Mei-Rin and Bard were laughing and watching. Sebastian finished the song he was playing. He felt someone staring at him. It was Chêne. Apparently she was taking a break too.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Sebastian said, smirking at her. Chêne's eyebrow twitched in irritation.

"It's nothing. I'm glad those two made up, but I think Ciel might be spending a little _too _much time with you… He's turning into a player." Chêne said, pouting and avoiding his gaze. Sebastian smirked.

=†=†=†=†=

{Ciel's bedroom…}

"Did you call my aunt?" Ciel asked as Sebastian buttoned up his nightshirt.

"Yes. They will send someone for her in the morning. Chêne is currently putting Miss Elizabeth to bed." Sebastian said.

"Geez… I wasted an entire day." Ciel grumbled.

"Is that so?" Sebastian smirked. "You seemed to be rather enjoying yourself, Young Master."

"Don't be a fool—!" Ciel said, stopping short when he realized he was trying to remove his non-existent ring out of habit. "Ah…" That's right, he had forgotten he threw it away.

"Now which of us would you call a fool?" Sebastian asked cynically as he stood back up at his full height. Sebastian's figure was framed by the glow of the moonlight pouring in through the window behind him, casting dramatic a shadow across the butler's face. "The ring is important to you, is it not? Yet you pretended not to care in front of Lady Elizabeth…" Sebastian took Ciel's hand and slid something onto his thumb. Then Sebastian released Ciel's hand, revealing the family ring on his thumb, completely fixed and shining like it was brand new. Ciel's eyes widened.

"This is—_!_?" Ciel said, stunned. Sebastian smirked,

"I am the butler of Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage something like this. Chêne was quite concerned for you. She knew you were putting on a brave face. That girl is quite sharp despite how carefree she acts. She gathered most of the pieces before I even said a word. This ring belongs on your finger. Please take care of it." Sebastian explained. Ciel stared at the now restored ring.

"… You are right." Ciel said as Sebastian began to untie his eye patch. "This ring has witnessed the demise of its master many times. My grandfather's… my father's… and… without fail, this ring will bear witness to my death as well." Ciel clenched his hands in his hair and shut his eyes. "It has heard the final agony of every family head. When I close my eyes, I can hear their screams." Sebastian remained silent as he watched his young master. Ciel drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them for comfort. "Maybe I would not hear them anymore… if I threw away the ring…or so I thought. But that was foolish of me." Ciel said dejectedly. Sebastian glanced out the window.

"Oh dear, the moon is already this high. Please get to sleep now lest your health be affected, Sir." Sebastian said as he tucked Ciel in for the night. Ciel gripped his pillow as Sebastian picked up the candelabra and turned to leave.

"Sebastian." Ciel called." Sebastian paused in his exit and looked back. "Stay here… until I fall asleep." Sebastian smirked.

"Heh…" Sebastian laughed to himself quietly as returned to his master's side. "No matter where you are, I shall always be by your side, Young Master, until the very end." The demon assured Ciel. They both knew what Sebastian's words implied by the_ very end_. Ciel buried his head in the pillow and eventually drifted off to sleep, despite his worries. Sebastian quietly exited the room and paused briefly as he leaned back against the door once he was outside the room as he recalled the day's events, the contrast between Ciel's strength and boldness in his pride as a noble and the vulnerable little boy he just tucked into bed… Sebastian bowed his head and held his face with his hand. His eyes were hidden by the shadow cast up his face. He heard the pitter-patter of Chêne's footsteps as she tried to walk through the halls quietly. Chêne saw Sebastian and would have thought Sebastian was upset about something if she hadn't noticed his smirk. Sebastian chuckled softly as he slowly slid his hand down from his face. His smirk deepened when he saw the confused look on Chêne's face.

"… So, How did it go? Was Ciel relieved to get his ring back?" Chêne asked.

"I suppose…" Sebastian said enigmatically. He was amused when Chêne pouted at his vague answer, sulking but refusing to give in and ask for more details. The demon butler turned and started silently walking down the hall. "Now… to prepare for the morrow…"


	12. That Butler, Omnipotent

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Omnipotent<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>{In One Of The Many Hallways of The Phantomhive Manor...}<p>

"Aaaw, brother." Bard sighed as he stared at an electrical wire that had been chewed up. "They got us. I guess they have it bad for cable pasta. Those damned mice." Bard griped as he rummaged around, trying to fix the damage.

The chef had removed a panel from the ceiling and was perched atop a ladder, wearing a hard hat with a light on it, just like a construction worker, He also had extra cables looped over his arm in case he needed it. Finni and Mei-Rin stood next to the ladder and stared up at the chef as they watched him work. They had somehow managed to get through their other chores without causing too much mayhem today, but now they had nothing else to do. The lights had flickered in the study, so Sebastian sent them to check on the electrical wiring while he took care of a few last minute things. Chêne had wanted to go with them since as she was certain something interesting or fun would happen, but Sebastian had made her watch the dessert he had loaded into oven to make sure it did not burn. Since Chêne had an attention span the size of a gnat, it was like sentencing the poor girl to Chinese water torture. Not only would she be incredibly bored, but she had to stay in the room where she would be tempted by the mouthwatering aroma of whatever Sebastian had decided to serve the young master—and she would not even be able to taste it! Well, back to the shenanigans of the three stooges.

"It's them again, is it?" Mei-Rin asked worriedly.

"We've got lots of them this year, don't we?" Finni asked, equally concerned.

Rats were not only annoying little pests, but they could also be carriers for certain diseases. They had been the ones that spread the black plague by bringing their infected fleas into the homes of humans, and although there was no danger of that now, they could not help but be concerned for the health of their young master. Chêne got sick easily too, but she always seemed to get better faster than was normal for the average human.

"I fixed it." Bard said as he climbed down the ladder. "I heard there's an epidemic of these things in London. They're just popping up all over the place… but I didn't think they'd bother coming here, to the city's outskirts. Business will go bust if we keep having power outages so often." Bard said, annoyed, as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Business?" Mei-Rin asked, confused.

What business? Didn't they work in a Manor house? A mouse scooted across the floor behind Bard's back.

"AH!" Finni yelled in surprise. "Mouse spotted!_!"_

Finni grabbed a nearby bust mounted on a pedestal, and heaved it at the tiny rodent.

_*** WHAAM! ***_

"BUH! HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY!"" Bard yelled as he and Mei-Rin managed to dodge at the last second. They were both blue with shock from their little brush with danger. The impact from the sculpture had resulted in a dust cloud from the disintegrated marble bust that had once been attached to the pedestal.

"Squeeeek!" The mouse cried frantically as it escaped.

"Ah!" Finni said as he watched it scurry out of sight. "Oops, it got away! Tee-hee!" Finni had a silly expression on his face, sticking his tongue out at himself, and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Tanaka laughed softly in the background as he came upon the scene of destruction.

"'Tee-hee'…ain't gonna cut it!" Bard shouted, a vein popping on his forehead. Poor Mei-Rin was still a little blue with shock. "You tryin' to kill me too_!_? You idiot!" Bard stood up and brushed himself off. "Anyway, it's no use going at 'em directly! We have to use what we got up here!" Bard said tapping his noggin. Although he was the Phantomhive family chef, bard liked to think of himself as a brilliant strategist.

"Up here…?" Finni and Mei-Rin asked as they and Tanaka pointed to their own heads.

"We gotta really use our heads and read the enemy's movements!" Bard explained to the other three servants. They gulped, adding to the dramatic tension. "A direct assault isn't the only way to fight battles. That's right! What we need's a diversion! So here's my plan!" Bard said as he dramatically slammed a huge soup pot down in front of him. "Because there's so many of 'em now, I figure they're short on food." Bard said darkly, his eyes gleaming. "There ain't nothing as tough as starving on the battle field." (The Phantomhive manor was not a battlefield though…) "So we'll use this!" Bard said as he removed the lid from the pot to reveal a mysterious stew that had a few bones sticking out of it. It was going *glub-glub* as the thick and questionable liquid's surface bubbled, despite the fact that the pot of slop had already cooled. It looked and smelled like Chicken-pot-die. "Better known as 'Chef Bard's Home-cooking, Mice Full Speed Ahead' plan!"

"Oohhhh!" The others said in awe.

"Well! Can't expect anything less from a pro!" Bard said, enjoying the attention.

"Kaay! Then I'll… Have at it with the 'Showdown of the Archenemies, Tom and Jerry' grand plan!" Finni said excitedly as he held up a cat he had just pulled out of nowhere.

"I-I won't lose to you! Here we have the 'Once I Catch You, I Won't Let You Go, Mice Hoihoi!' grand plan!" Mei-Rin said as she swept her arm dramatically, revealing an entire section of the hallway floor that had somehow been carpeted with mousetraps.

"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Tanaka said as he held up a butterfly net.

"Yaaay! All right! Then… Let the battle begin!" They cheered as they pumped their fists in the air excitedly.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Billiards room}

A stern-faced, bespectacled old man eyed the doors of the dim room that led to the hallway. A loud commotion could be heard taking place on the other side of them.

"How terribly noisy." The old man said. Two billiard balls clinked as they collided with each other on the table. "It would appear there are mice here as well." The man's words were weighted with a double meaning as he looked at the other occupants of the room that had arranged themselves in various positions around the billiards table.

They were in the middle of a game of nine-ball. Closest to the table were two men. One of the men was leaning over the table, taking aim for his next shot. He was dressed in a pinstripe suit and had dark hair, piercings, and a scar across his face. The other man, standing on the opposite side of the table, was a china man. His eyes were closed, and he had an air of the mystery of the orient about him. He was wearing traditional Chinese clothing, a tangzhuang. Leaning against the wall near the table, was Chlaus and a mysterious woman dressed in red. A few feet away from them, on the same side of the table as the man with a scar on his face, was a rather portly man lounging in a chair and enjoying a sandwich.

"How long are you planning to let the vermin roam free? All they do is forage for food and spread plagues." The rotund man said.

"'Let them roam free?' Is he not purposefully 'leaving them at large?'" The oriental man said. The woman in red smirked.

"Quite right. He always aims for the nine ball." The woman said. "Will you be passing again… Earl Phantomhive?" Ciel smirked at the woman from where he was lounging casually in his chair.

"Pass. I do not believe in shooting useless balls." Ciel said calmly. The scarred man took another shot and the balls clinked together as they collided, but he did not manage to sink any of them.

"Enough of your pompous talk." The stern old man said. "When will you carry out your extermination of the mice?"

"Right away." Ciel said. His cue stick made a tapping sound as he set it on the ground, holding it up vertically as he leaned forward in his chair. "I have already had Chlaus secure the necessities. The billiard balls clinked again as the oriental man took his turn at the table. "It will be rather a spot of bother as to find their nest and eradicate them. I hope you are prepared to pay me a tidy sum?" Ciel said patronizingly.

Ciel's eyes had a slightly predatory look to them as he smirked. The old man was sweating slightly, a little unnerved and agitated by the boy.

"…You vulture…!" The old man growled.

Ciel narrowed his eyes slightly and glared intensely at the man, his face cast partially in shadow. Those present in the room could swear the temperature of the room dropped a few degrees.

"Have you the right to insult _our coats of arms_?" Ciel asked darkly. "You who have spent a fortune on bloodhounds that cannot kill even a single mouse." The old man furrowed his brow and grit his teeth. What the young Earl said was true, he had no comeback.

"Too bad, that. A foul." The china man said. He sighed. "My, billiards is difficult."

"It is the Earl's turn. Will you take your shot?" The scarred man asked smirking.

"I suppose it is about time I ended this silly game." Ciel said standing up and walking towards the table. "Well?" Ciel asked as he passed the old man. "When will you have my compensation ready?"

"…B-By this evening." The man said, not pleased with the situation, but resigned to do what he had to.

"Very well." Ciel said as he leaned over the pool table to take his shot. "I shall have a carriage pick you up later, and I shall be waiting with high tea at the ready for you, Sir." Ciel said condescendingly.

The old man grit his teeth, seething. High tea was, traditionally, an early evening meal for the lower classes, not something normally served to the guest of a noble. Ciel positioned his cue stick so that it was aimed at a path that would allow him to win the game.

"Three balls left, and you're aiming for the nine ball?" the rotund man in the chair asked.

"Of course." Ciel smirked.

"Let's see the skill of this game prodigy for ourselves!" the rotund man laughed. Chlaus smirked, knowing full well what Ciel was capable of.

"Greed shall prove to be your downfall... Ciel!" The stern old man said.

"Ha!" Ciel laughed as he struck the cue ball with his stick. The balls slammed together, knocking each other into the corner pockets. "Greed, hmm…?" Ciel mused as the all-important nine ball rolled into the pocket.

_*** Clink! Thud! ***_

* * *

><p>I did not name anyone in the billiards room other tha Ciel and Chlaus because in the manga, the others' names weren't revealed yet, and I thought maybe it was more mysterious this way? I also know that in the manga Finni says different names for the 'archenemies' in the title of his plan for catching mice, but I changed it because the original joke was a reference to 'Tom and Jerry' anyway. So yeah, like I said at the beginning, I own nothing. Don't sue me, please.<p> 


	13. That Butler, Omnipotent2

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Omnipotent2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>≈<em>Dream Mode≈<em>

_Chêne was wandering through the halls of the manor. Everything was dark and hazy. It felt surreal. She was searching for something… She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she had to find it. What ever it was— it was important to her. She could smell the faint aroma of apples and cinnamon, like an apple pie, floating in the background. She saw a door and pushed it open. It was the Study, and it was empty. The windows had been thrown open, and the curtains fluttered as the wind blew. Papers and various documents that Ciel had just finished organizing last night were scattered about the room. Strange. Although it was true that finding the Study in such disarray was unusual, Chêne could not explain the feeling of fear dread that suddenly overtook her at the sight of the room._

"_They took him!" Chêne heard herself cry. Wait, who did 'they' take? Why would she say something like that? _

_The scene shifted before her eyes, and Chêne now found herself in an unfamiliar room. In the middle of the room, was a dark-haired man. He had a scar across his face, and piercings in one of his eyebrow and both his ears. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing a pinstriped suit. The man was holding a gun to Ciel's head. Ciel was bruised and bleeding slightly. He had clearly been beaten. Chêne gasped in surprise._

'_Please don't let this be one of_ those_ dreams!' Chêne thought. 'Don't let this one come true!'_

_Sebastian entered the room. Chêne knew she should feel relived, but that feeling of dread just wouldn't leave her. Sebastian and the man were talking to each other now, but there words were muffled, like something was preventing Chêne from hearing their conversation. Sebastian pulled something out of his coat and held it out to the man. It was the 'game' Chlaus had brought with him to give to Ciel when he visited. A bang was heard as a bullet went straight through Sebastian's head, and he was riddled with a shower of bullets. The man laughed._

≈_End Dream Mode≈_

Sebastian had completed his tasks and was now in the process of making his way to the kitchen so he could check on the dessert he had Chêne watching for him while it was baking. He entered the kitchen to find a sleeping Chêne. The girl was resting her head on the kitchen counter she had seated herself in front of, a few inches away from the timer for the oven. She looked so peaceful; it was almost a shame to wake her. Almost. As Sebastian reached out to shake her shoulder, Chêne's eyes suddenly snapped open, wild with panic. It was quite startling. Chêne jumped back from Sebastian like she had seen a ghost. She was breathing quick, shallow breaths, as though she were having a panic attack. Sebastian was puzzled. He had wanted to startle her since he found her reactions amusing, but this was not what he had in mind…

"…Chêne?" Sebastian said softly, so as not to startle the girl more. Chêne froze, and she slowly brought her eye up to meet his. For a moment she just stared at Sebastian as though she could not believe it was him. There was a desperate hope in her eyes as she suddenly flung herself at the demon butler.

"Oh thank God! You're alright!" Chêne cried in relief as she hugged Sebastian. Sebastian blinked. He was slightly stunned. Chêne had never _thrown herself_ at him before, and it was the first time he heard anyone thank God for saving a _demon._ "That dream felt so real! I thought you'd really been shot!"

'I see… so it was a nightmare.' Sebastian thought. 'I wonder if it could be one of _those_ dreams, one of Chêne's visions…'

Chêne was still clinging to him, like he was her lifeline, and sobbing uncontrollably. Sebastian frowned slightly. While he did not really mind the close contact, it would not do to stand there all day. It would throw off the entire schedule, and the pie would be ready to come out of the oven in another not long from now. Besides, seeing Chêne like this — a girl who had not even cried like this after being branded and whipped — unnerved him slightly. He was not sure why he felt that way, but the carefree and childish smile or the petulant pout she normally sported when he was teasing her definitely suited her much better. So, he wrapped his arms around her, embracing her, and smirked.

"My, my if you wanted me to _embrace_ you so badly, all you had to do was ask. I am deeply touched, Chêne. I never knew you cared." Sebastian seductively whispered in her ear. The implied innuendo was not lost on Chêne, and it had the desired effect on her. She was no longer crying. Instead, Chêne was gaping at him incredulously; like she could_ not_ believe those words just came out of his mouth, and she was flushed cherry red from head to toe.

"W-What_!_?" Chêne shrieked and instantly shot two feet away from Sebastian. Sebastian smirked at her and chuckled.

'Much better.' Sebastian thought smugly. "Well, with the way you were clinging to me just now… was I wrong?" Sebastian asked a little too innocently as he gave her a blinding shit-eating grin. Chêne looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She felt like one too.

"N—Yes!" Chêne stuttered indignantly. She was blushing so hard now that she was practically glowing. "Ugh! I don't even know why I was upset you got shot anymore! You pervert!" Chêne huffed angrily. Sebastian was clearly enjoying her embarrassment.

"Yes you were saying something to that effect when you were clinging to me earlier." Sebastian said, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Chêne scowled at him. "What else happened in your dream to cause you so much distress?"

"Are you worried about me?" Chêne asked, a little surprised.

"Merely curious." Sebastian replied. Chêne sighed. She did not know what other answer she should have expected.

"I don't remember all of it… but here goes." Chêne said as she launched into a description of her dream.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back With The Others…}

"… What are you doing?" Sebastian asked wearily, clearly appalled at the scene of chaos before him.

He had left to check on the others' progress after hearing Chêne's dream, only to be greeted with _this_… Mei-Rin was running around and flailing her arms after accidentally falling victim to one of her own traps. Finni was dressed in a cat suit… being attacked and chased by real cats… Bard was spilling some kind of _hazardous waste_ on the floors. They were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off and crying. Tanaka was merrily skipping about here and there, chasing the mice with a net. He should have known that morning's lack of mishaps was too good to be true.

"Whaddaya mean, what_!_? We're catching mice, of course!" Bard shouted indignantly.

"I… see… is… that right…" Sebastian said, already feeling a migraine coming on.

"Sebastian!" Ciel called out from behind the butler.

"Young Master." Sebastian said in acknowledgement.

"Send a carriage over to Lord Randall's mansion tonight." Ciel ordered.

"A carriage, Sir?" Sebastian asked for clarification.

"We will be hosting a party this evening." Ciel said.

"Very good, Sir." Sebastian said, smirking. "Once I have made arrangements for the carriage, I shall bring your afternoon tea to your room." Behind him, the three stooges were still making a commotion over the mice. "For today's afternoon tea, I have prepared a deep-dish pie of apples and raisins. Chêne is currently keeping an eye on it, and I will bring it fresh from the oven, so please wait a little while."

"All right. Bring Chêne with you when you come. The prototype for a new Funtom product arrived the other day, and I want her to test it out as well." Ciel said and left to work in his Study.

Although Chêne was nineteen, she was just as playful as a child, and she would often test the products as well. Since Chêne was so creative, she would come up with different ways the toy could be used that were not necessarily recommended in the instructions, and therefore helped to determine what warning labels or disclaimers they should add. If the quality was high enough to survive Chêne's abuse, then it got Ciel's seal of approval. Sebastian stared after his master as the chaos behind him continued. He really would rather not have to deal with all that nonsense.

"… Right." Sebastian said, deciding he should face the mess behind him and not delay himself any longer. He swiftly dived across the floor, snatching up all of the mice as he went. Mei-Rin, Finni, and bard just stood there, stunned as Sebastian gracefully stood with the mice in hand. "Now then. Please stop playing about and get back to work. We are expecting a guest tonight." Sebastian said as he tossed the mice out the window. He noticed Tanaka had caught a few mice in his net himself.

"Yesh, Shiiiir…" The three servants said dejectedly, sniffling.

=†=†=†=†=

{With Ciel…}

"…Haah…" Ciel sighed as he shut the Study door behind him and made his way to his desk. "Why are our servants so carefr—_!_?" Ciel was cut off when someone grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth with a rag. It smelled strange, like it had been soaked with chloroform. Ciel struggled with all his might, but the chloroform was taking effect. He was growing dizzy, and as his vision darkened, he fell unconscious. Ciel went limp in the arms of his abductor.

=†=†=†=†=

{With Sebastian And Chêne…}

Sebastian and Chêne were currently making their way to the Study so they could serve Ciel his afternoon tea and take a look at Funtom's latest prototype. Chêne was still slightly on edge about her dream, but decided there was no point in worrying over it.

"I hope Ciel is willing to share that pie with me." Chêne said, repressing the instinct to drool as she took in the mouthwatering aroma of apples and cinnamon. '… Wait… why do I feel like this has happened before…?' Chêne wondered.

"I suppose you will simply have to ask him yourself." Sebastian said as they stopped in front of the Study's door. Sebastian knocked on the door gracefully. Chêne wondered how the man could make everything seem like a high-art form. "Young Master, I have brought you your afternoon tea." Their only answer was silence.

"Something's wrong." Chêne said nervously. Ciel never turned down sweets. Sebastian opened the door.

"Young Master?" Sebastian called again, furrowing his brow slightly.

"!" Sebastian and Chêne started when they saw the room. The scene before them was exactly the same as in Chêne's dream.

"Oh no…!" Chêne gasped, horrified. 'If only I had said something sooner…'

"This is—" Sebastian said. "… Oh dear… How could this be…"

"This is terrible! Ciel's been kidnapped!" Chêne said at the same time Sebastian said,

"And after all that, this tea is going to go to waste…" Sebastian looked a little too calm for a butler whose master had just been _forcibly removed_ from his own home. Chêne face-faulted and gaped at Sebastian.

"_That's_ what you're worried about_!_?" Chêne yelled, exasperated.

* * *

><p>I posted a link on my profile to a pic of Chêne that I made for anyone who's curious, and as thanks for reading. ^_^ I hope you like it!<p> 


	14. That Butler, Omnipotent3

I'm sorry it took me so long to update! Thanks for waiting. ^_^

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Omnipotent3<strong>_

'thoughts'

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously: <strong>

"_This is—" Sebastian said. "… Oh dear… How could this be…"_

"_This is terrible! Ciel's been kidnapped!" Chêne said at the same time Sebastian said,_

"_And after all that, this tea is going to go to waste…" Sebastian looked a little too calm for a butler whose master had just been forcibly removed from his own home. Chêne face-faulted and gaped at Sebastian._

"_That's what you're worried about!" Chêne yelled, exasperated._

* * *

><p>{At The H.Q. Of A Certain Member Of The Italian Mafia…}<p>

Ciel had regained consciousness only to find that he was now being held captive in a well-guarded mansion. He had been bound with leather straps, and his wrists and ankles were cuffed and chained together, severely limiting his ability to move. The room he was in was dimly lit, but Ciel could hear the faint ticking of a clock in the background, and He could still see the large Doberman that was growling only a few feet away from him. Ciel's kidnapper began to speak.

"You, the 'order' of the Inghilterra underworld. Dissidents meet their end in the jaws of your absolute power… you, watchdog of the Queen. Over many generations has your kind done the government's dirty work… you, the Aristocrat of Evil. Tell me, how many aliases do you have? How many 'Families' have you ruined?" The man asked Ciel cynically as he trimmed his cigar with a guillotine cigar cutter and lit it. "The king of the number one toy factory in the world is just a brat, in this situation. Isn't that right… Ciel Phantomhive?" Ciel glared at the man. His captor was a dark-haired man. He had a scar across his face, and piercings in one of his eyebrow and both his ears. His hair was slicked back, and he was wearing a pinstriped suit. He had been one of Ciel's 'guests' in the Billiards room earlier that day. "A man should not be judged by his looks… still… I suppose it does make sense for the king of the toy place to be a child." The man said as he set his cigar cutter down on the table.

"So it was you. The Ferro Family's, Azzurro Vanel." Ciel said darkly as he continued to glare. Vanel leered at Ciel.

"Si! You know, little Phantomhive, here, in your country, it is difficult to do for us Italians to conduct business." Vanel said patronizingly. "Very, very difficult. You Inglesi all have tea stains on your brains." The Doberman growled. "Think about it." Vanel said. "What do you think is the best way for people like us to make money?" Vanel's smirk was becoming more twisted the longer he spoke. "Not murder, not smuggling, not women, not organs—that leaves drugs, yes?" Vanel, realizing he was ranting, relaxed himself and leaned against a table, tapping his finger on its edge. "But once we arrived here, there was not even a whiff of mellow fragrance in this country—all thanks to the watchdog."

"It is by order of the queen that dealers and drugs are controlled." Ciel said.

"Oh dear, what a prude, There you have it! The reason I hate the Inglesi!" Vanel said sarcastically. "Queen this! Queen that! You are nothing but a bunch of mama's boys." Vanel laughed. "Still… at the end of the day, you and I are two sides of the same coin. We would like to make some money with you if possible."

"I have no intention of colluding with a filthy sewer rat." Ciel said darkly. As if _he_ could be bought, the very idea insulted Ciel.

"So you say, but I wonder about the other fellows. Maybe they are just afraid of the watchdog and are sitting tight for the time being… in fear of Ciel Phantomhive, sweeper of the dark." Vanel said, taking a puff on his cigar. "I was especially careful to not deal those drugs in Italy, so it surprises me that you found me so fast. I didn't think you would use Chlaus to get them." Vanel shrugged. "That's why me, I am useless. The boss, he will yell at me again." Vanel laughed. "Now, you understand what I want? If you tell me where the drugs are, I send you home alive… little Phantomhive."

"If I fail to return, Chlaus will hand the evidence over to the government. Most unfortunate for you." Ciel said mockingly, smirking. Vanel pulled out his pistol and cocked it, aiming it at Ciel.

"One must never look down on one's elders… you snot-nosed little noble!" Vanel sneered angrily. "I already have my men over at your mansion. Where are the drugs? If you don't spit it out pronto… I shall kill your servants one by one!" Ciel perked up when he heard that… Chêne was still there... He bowed his head, as though in defeat, before throwing his head back haughtily.

"I do hope your precious pet dogs know their way around a game of 'fetch.'" Ciel said, giving Vanel an absolutely brilliant shit-eating grin that would have made Sebastian and Chêne proud.

"Heh…!" Vanel said, shrugging before suddenly kicking Ciel hard across the face. "You hear that?" Vanel asked, picking up the phone. "There was a breakdown in our negotiations. Kill them!" Vanel crushed his cigar under his heel.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back At The Phantomhive Manor}

A sniper watched Sebastian and Chêne through his scope as they walked down the hallway, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

"We have to find him." Chêne said. "I've heard once that in most missing children cases, time is an important factor. When a child is taken, the two days following the abduction are what is the most important. If a child is taken and recovered within the following forty-eight hours, the child has a better chance of being found alive, but after forty-eight hours have passed, the chance is much lower that the child will be found alive, or that they will be found at all… but these are just statistics from my world, with modern technology… I don't what will happen now." Chêne said, biting her lip as she worried about Ciel. Sebastian was only half listening to her, too preoccupied with his own thoughts.

'The deep-dish pie turned out exceptional… So, where could he have gone?' Sebastian wondered. He had not sensed any outsiders in the manor before Ciel went missing, except for their guests of course… 'Ah.' Sebastian realized as he remembered Chêne's description of the man threatening Ciel in her dream. 'I see we did have a rather _interesting_ guest today, after all. Chêne's dream was definitely not a coincidence.'

"M-Mister Sebastian! Miss Chêêêne! " Mei-Rin yelled. The two head servants turned to see Mei-Rin running towards them, waving a letter in her hand. Chêne sweat dropped.

'What now?' Chêne thought. 'And how many times have we told her not to run inside?'

"Th-There was a letter at the door—!" Mei-Rin yelled.

"To whom is it addressed?" Sebastian asked.

"Erm… 'Mister Valet to Lord Ciel Phantomhive'..." Mei-Rin read aloud as she continued to run.

These hallways were ridiculously long. Now that Chêne and Sebastian were standing still, it gave the sniper time to aim. From the angle he was at, he found that he could kill both of the servants with one shot. The small maid was just the right height that he could shoot through her head, and hit the butler's chest. Sebastian suddenly glared at the sniper from the corner of his eye, as though he knew what the man was thinking. Startled, the sniper pulled the trigger just as Mei-Rin tripped.

"Gaah_!_?" Mei-Rin yelled as she tripped on her shoelace that had suddenly become untied. The bespectacled maid flew into Sebastian, who instead of catching her and whatever she was about to ruin like usual, allowed himself to be tackled and pulled Chêne down with him.

"Heeey_!_?" Chêne cried indignantly as she felt herself being pulled.

She knew it had been on purpose, she just didn't know why. Chêne saw it then, as they were falling. The bullet had just missed Sebastian's face and had even sliced a piece of his fringe off as it zipped past them. She heard a great crashing sound as the glass in the windows broke, and Sebastian held her face to his chest. He lay there calmly on the floor as his hand held the back of Chêne's head to protect it from any stray shards of glass. All of this happened in mere seconds, and the sudden rush of events left Chêne a little dizzy. She realized she could still hear the gun firing. It had a pattern to it, like it was a submachine gun… it sounded similar to the old Tommy gun, circa 1919, in her father's collection.

'Not really your ideal gun for a sniper…' Chêne thought numbly. Outside, the sniper, realizing he screwed up, decided to get the heck out of dodge.

=†=†=†=†=

"Eeek!"

Finni and Bard started when they heard Mei-Rin's scream, and crashing from further down the hall.

"What the heck_!_?" Bard shouted in surprise when he heard the gunfire. Finni was just as shocked.

"What happened_!_?" Finni cried, worried.

=†=†=†=†=

"Wha-wha-wha-wha_!_?" Mei-Rin stuttered, blue with shock.

"Get down! What if they're still—" Chêne hissed as Sebastian, who had been calmly laying underneath the two maids, abruptly sat up and caught the pie. It landed back on the silver tray in Sebastian's hand from wherever it had flown off to in the commotion, as though nothing had ever happened. Chêne gave Sebastian a blank stare. '… We were just almost killed, and he still found time to worry about the freakin' pie? He takes this whole butler thing a little to far sometimes…' Chêne thought. She just sighed. Chêne was feeling too mentally exhausted at the moment to comment.

"My, my." Sebastian said, snapping Chêne out of her daze. She blushed furiously when she realized she and Mei-Rin were sitting in his lap.

'When did that happen_!_?" Chêne thought. She tried to move away, but realized that she was still being held in place by Sebastian, who pretended not to notice

"Mei-Rin, the letter." That seemed to snap Mei-Rin out of it too, and she blushed a deep red. "Eh_!_? Ah! Here it is." Mei-Rin said as she handed it over.

"What's it say?" Chêne asked curiously.


	15. That Butler, Omnipotent4

OMG… If you haven't read ch. 59 of Kuroshitsuji yet, then GO! They finally showed undertaker's face! And the whole chapter was just so frickin hilarious! XD. I hope I didn't just put in too many spoilers…

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Omnipotent4<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

={John Doe's end}= is a shift in perspective during a phone conversation that's still within the same scene.

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"My, my." Sebastian said, snapping Chêne out of her daze. She blushed furiously when she realized she and Mei-Rin were sitting in his lap._

_'When did that happen!" Chêne thought. She tried to move away, but realized that she was still being held in place by Sebastian, who pretended not to notice_

_"Mei-Rin, the letter." That seemed to snap Mei-Rin out of it too, and she blushed a deep red. "Eh! Ah! Here it is." Mei-Rin said as she handed it over._

_"What's it say?" Chêne asked curiously._

* * *

><p>"This invitation possesses not an ounce of grace." Sebastian said, revealing nothing. If she wanted to read it the right way, it meant she would have to lean up against Sebastian, and she knew that he was doing that on purpose to annoy her, so she settled for reading it upside down. It read:<p>

_If you want your master back, bring the goods to Buck's Row in Whitechapel._

'Oh, great, it's a ransom note.' Chêne thought darkly. 'Whoever kidnapped Ciel is in for a world of hurt.' Chêne cracked her knuckles.

"Hey! Hey!" Bard shouted as he and Finni burst into view. "What the hell's going on_!_?"

"You've all collapsed! Are you all right_!_?" Finni yelled in concern. Sebastian stood up, bring Chêne and Mei-Rin to their feet with him. Poor Mei-Rin had already turned to mush and collapsed as soon as Sebastian let go. The bespectacled maid was too out of it to stand on her own after her close encounter with Sebastian, the stud-muffin.

"It was nothing, we are fine." Sebastian said.

'Well, in a manner of speaking…' Chêne thought as she glanced at Mei-Rin, passed out on the floor. Chêne noticed that she had a few minor cuts from the glass herself, but nothing major, and Mei-Rin would be fine once she woke up again.

"Forgive me for asking, but might I leave tonight's dinner preparations to you?" Sebastian said calmly to Bard.

"Sure that's fine, but…" Bard said, a little confused about what was going on.

"I have a tiny bit of business to which I must attend." Sebastian replied calmly, giving nothing away about Ciel's current status as a damsel in distress. "And please take care of this as well." Sebastian held the pie out for Bard to take from the serving tray, which he did.

"O…kay?" Bard said, confused as he took the pie. Finni and Chêne were trying to revive Mei-Rin from the puddle of goo she had been reduced to.

"I shall return by dinnertime." Sebastian said as he tucked the serving tray under his arm, and turned to leave.

"Hey, wait!" Chêne called after him as she jumped up to follow him. Chêne still wanted to talk to him about something. Bard stared at the pie.

"Nn? Take care of it means… I can eat thi—huh? Sebastian?" Bard said. While the chef had been preoccupied with the pie, Sebastian and Chêne had seemingly disappeared.

=†=†=†=†=

*** VROOOOM! ***

A car was speeding away from the manor.

"Sorry, I missed." The sniper said nervously as he talked to Vanel on his 'portable telephone' that looked suspiciously like a cell phone.

={on Vanel's end}=

"You what_!_? You useless idiots!" Vanel yelled as he kicked the table frustration. Was there no good help these days? "This is why trash like you—! You bastards are finito! Get back here right now!"

={on the hired gun's end}=

The driver saw a flash of something black out the corner of his eye. "Hang on. Something's coming our way." The getaway driver said as her checked the rearview Mirror. "_!_!_!_" The driver yelled as he paled in fear.

={Vanel's end}=

[What the hell is thaaaaaaat_!_?] The sniper yelled over the phone.

"_!_?" Vanel said as he flinched. The scream was so loud, he had to hold the phone away from his ear. "What, have you seen a bear or something?" Vanel laughed.

={Hired gun's end}=

*** SCREECH! ***

"Uwaah! Aah!" The driver and sniper screamed as the mysterious figure chasing them gained speed. Whatever it was, it was catching up.

={Vanel's end}=

"What's wrong with you? Are you guys too _high!_?" Vanel asked, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

[Go faster!] The sniper yelled as Vanel heard the screech of tires over the phone.

[We can't!] The driver yelled back.

={Hired gun's end}=

"No! It's coming!" The sniper screamed. He was scared out of his mind.

[Hey! What is_!_?] Vanel shouted. [Don't fuck with—] Whatever was chasing them was right behind them now.

"It's Co—!"

={Vanel's end}=

"Cut it out, you bastards!" Vanel yelled angrily into the phone.

[It's no use! It's here…!] The sniper yelled as a hand reached out to grab them.

[Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!] They screamed as the car crashed. There was a heavy silence on both ends of the phone now.

"…H-Hey?" Vanel said warily into the phone. This was going too far to just be considered a joke now. "Hey! What's going on_!_?" Vanel yelled into the phone.

"Heh!" Ciel laughed as he smirked. Vanel stared down warily at Ciel, who was still lying on the floor. Ciel continued to chuckle darkly as he said, "It would seem that your game of 'fetch' was a failure." A chill went up Vanel's spine.

"_Shut up! You miserable little braaat!"_ Vanel yelled, kicking Ciel again. Vanel was getting so freaked out, he was breaking out in a cold sweat. _"Hey! Give it to me straight, or I'm gonna kill you mutts! HEY!"_

[Hello?] A smooth, deep velvet voice said into the phone.

"—_!_!_!" _Vanel said as he was filled with a cold dread in the pit of his stomach.

={The hired gun's , no, Sebastian's end}=

"Hello? I am a servant of the Phantomhive family. Sebastian said as he held the sniper's portable phone to his ear.

={Vanel's end}=

Vanel was shaking now, and the cigar fell from his mouth as it hang open in shock.

[Might our master be there?] Sebastian said politely.

"…!" Vanel said as he shivered in fear.

[Hello? Is something wrong, sir?] Sebastian asked with mock concern. You could practically hear the butler's smirk in his voice. The phone was shaking in Vanel's hand as he grit his teeth and struggled to answer. There was something about the voice on the other end of the phone that filled him with fear and dread…

"Woof!" Ciel barked from where he was lying on the floor. Vanel's eyes widened as he turned to stare at the bloody and beaten boy.

={Sebastian's end}=

The butler smiled.

"… Understood, Sir." Sebastian said.

={Vanel's end}=

[I shall be there to collect you straight away. Please be patient for just a little longer.] Sebastian said, hanging up. Vanel stood there in shock as he listened to the dial tone of the phone. Ciel glared at Vanel and spit on the floor.

=†=†=†=†=

The phone snapped shut as Sebastian closed it after hanging up on Vanel.

"Thank you… for allowing me the use of your telephone." Sebastian said calmly as he kneeled on the hood of the car. The getaway car was now balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. The hood of the car that Sebastian was sitting on, was on solid ground, held in place by Sebastian's weight, and the back half of the automobile was hanging over the edge of the cliff, in the air. That was the end the sniper and the driver were sitting in, naturally. It had been such a lovely vehicle with a convertible top and everything, but now…

"There are a few things I should like to ask you as well… If I may?" Sebastian said, smiling his shit-eating grin. The two henchmen were too stunned to do anything other than shiver in fear. "First, I would like to know the name of your master." The two men kept silent. "Come now. I fear patience is not one of my virtues." Sebastian said as he driver's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Surely you do not wish to become… 'Humpty Dumpty'?" Sebastian asked, smirking.

"…!" The sniper flinched. "The Ferro family's Azzuro Vanel! Their hideout is in the Northern part of East End!" The sniper cried out of fear of death. Sebastian stared at the two men for a moment, determining the validity of that statement. He grinned.

"I see." Sebastian said as he pocketed the portable phone.

"… Ah!" The sniper cried as the car shook. "We were… J… J-J-Just hired by him…" The sniper said nervously as the car creaked and wobbled on the edge of the cliff.

"Oh? Is that so? In that case, I do apologize for holding you up." Sebastian said as he stood back up on the hood of the car. "Please… Have a safe trip." Sebastian said as he bowed and leaped back, off of the car. The car immediately rolled backwards, off of the cliff. The two men in the car stared at him in horror as they felt themselves falling, too shocked to scream. Sebastian stared back emotionlessly at them as he watched the two humans fall to their death. Sebastian turned and started to walk away as the plume of heat and smoke from the explosion shot into the air.

"Sebastian!" Chêne called. Sebastian turned to see her riding up on a horse… Well he had been running at approximately 30 mph. Chêne was only human, so she couldn't have hoped to catch up to him on foot. "Are you going to get Ciel now?"

"No, I just fancied taking a stroll." Sebastian said, giving her a shit-eating grin. Chêne scowled at him and dismounted from her horse.

"I'm being serious! I know how scary it is, being kidnapped. It happened to me when I was six. Someone kidnapped me and held me for ransom. If my dad hadn't come for me, I'd be dead right now. The kidnappers were only willing to wait for two days before they decided to try to kill me. I think the gun they used to shoot at us sounded like a submachine gun. These guys aren't playing around, so be careful, okay?" Chêne said.

"Oh, you can identify the weapon?" Sebastian said. Chêne had already mentioned before that not only was her father a military man, but he also had a hobby of collecting guns. Chêne had watched her father play with them at the firing range since she was young, and had even fired a few. However, this was the first time she had mentioned her being kidnapped to him, and Sebastian decided he would have to find out more about it later.

"Sort of, I can only tell you it sounds similar to a Tommy gun. It's a type of submachine gun that was invented in 1919, and it's basically a combination of the automatic fire of a maxim gun with the cartridge of a pistol." Chêne said. "But it could just be something that sounds similar… How many shots did you count?"

"He shot at us for one minute so… about 600 rounds per minute." Sebastian said. Chêne nodded.

"That sounds about right for a later version of the model... Geez, if there are already machine guns before WWI even starts, I'm scared for the future…" Chêne mumbled.

"Did you just say something about a world war?" Sebastian asked, slightly surprised. He knew humans were greedy and foolish, but to begin a war that involved the entire world…

"…Uuuh… please pretend you didn't just hear that." Chêne pleaded, sweat dropping.

"Understood." Sebastian said as he walked away. Chêne sighed in relief. "We shall discuss it later." He said, turning back and giving her a positively radiant shit-eating grin. Chêne really wanted to punch him.

"Whatever, smart-ass!" She huffed indignantly as she shoved a box roughly into his hands. "This is what they're after right? I figure you might want it in case you needed a bargaining chip." Sebastian looked at the box in his hands and smirked. It was the 'game' Chlaus had delivered to Ciel the other day when they had to create the Japanese stone garden. Although it looked like an ordinary children's game, its true contents were far from it. Chêne really was much more clever than he gave her credit for. "And don't try to play it off either." Chêne said sternly. "I know you guys try to keep me out of Ciel's business with the queen most of the time because it's dangerous, and I don't have super powers, like you, but I'm not stupid. I read the subtext of the Conversation between Ciel and Chlaus that day. Normally I would insist you take me with you, but since I know I'd just get in the way… I'll stay behind like a good little girl. Just come back safe and in one piece… both of you." Chêne said as she mounted the horse and cracked the reigns. "Yah!" She cried as she rode off back to the manor 'Western' style, like a cowboy, instead of sidesaddle like a proper lady. Sebastian shook his head and smirked as he watched her go.

"The Ferro Family—…" Sebastian said as he flipped open his pocket watch and checked the time. "Oh dear. Just look at the time… I must make haste, lest I be late for dinner." Sebastian said calmly.

* * *

><p>A few notes:<p>

1) The maxim gun is like an early version of the gattling gun that was invented in 1884... I think... so it would've already been invented in our normal timeline, which is why i had Chêne use that to make a comparison.

2) For those of you who might still remember... in one of the very first chapters, Chêne said that Ciel reminded her of herself at '_tha_t time'. That was her referencing her own experience when she was kidnapped and waiting for someone to rescue her. Don't worry, it'll be explained more later on in the story.


	16. That Butler, Most Evil

**¡Warning!** The language gets a little more mature in this chapter. Also, someone asked me if this was a Ciel AND Sebastian fic. The answer is no. This is supposed to be a SebastianXOC romance fic, but it might seem like there's a hint of Ciel in there since I wanted him to think of Chêne as a weird older sister that he cares about and trusts, but would never admit it out loud since Chêne thinks of him as a bratty but cute little brother. Ciel and Chêne like each other in a dysfunctional sibling kind of way. I'm sorry for the confusion. ^_^;

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Most Evil<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>"Phantomhive's bouncer is on his way!" Vanel shouted furiously. "Hold the gates. Don't let a single mouse in!" The men scrambled to get their weapons ready. "This is an emergency! Don't stand around twiddling your thumbs! Stop him no matter what!"<p>

=†=†=†=†=

Sebastian calmly walked toward the Mafioso's H.Q.

=†=†=†=†=

"Don't let that bastard set one foot in here!" A few men yelled zealously as they ran outside to secure the perimeter. They didn't even notice Sebastian was already walking up the stairs as they ran past him.

"Quickly!" Henchman A yelled.

"Pick up the pace!" Henchman B shouted.

"I Say! What a splendid manor!" Sebastian said, deciding to stop and mess with them since he felt that getting in had been far too easy.

"Wha…_!_?" They yelled as all fifteen henchmen turned to see Sebastian standing there ever so innocently.

"Who the fuck are you_!_?" Henchman B demanded.

"—The hell'd you get in 'ere_!_?" Henchman A yelled.

"Hmm… You seem to be rather busy." Sebastian said innocently. "Might you be expecting someone—"

"What business doe a butler have here_!_? Which family are you from_!_?" Henchman B demanded as they circled Sebastian and pointed their guns at him.

"Me?'" Sebastian asked in feigned surprise. "Aah, forgive me for not introducing myself. I… work for the Phantomhive family." Sebastian said, smirking sinisterly.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Manor Downstairs: The Kitchen}

"Haah… Wherever did Mister Sebastian get to?" Mei-Rin wondered out loud.

"Yeeeah…" Finni sighed.

"He said he had an errand to run." Chêne said, acting bored so that the others wouldn't worry.

"I don't care where he is or what he's doin'… but… there _is_ one problem!" Bard said seriously.

'Could he have figured it out…?' Chêne wondered.

"This pie!" Bard said grandly, motioning to the pie Sebastian had passed to him that was now sitting innocently on the kitchen counter. Chêne sweat dropped.

'Yeah… that figures.' Chêne thought chagrined.

"Since he said 'take care of it,' does that mean we can eat it! Or can we not_!_? Which one is it_!_?" Bard shouted.

"But since he went off and left us with it, maybe it's okay to have a bite?" Finni said dreamily as he drooled at the thought of eating the delicious pie. "Smells yummy."

"I don't see why not." Chêne said. "It's just going to go to waste if we don't."

"You idiots!" Bard yelled. Chêne's brow twitched in irritation at the insult. "You've never had to suffer it before Chêne, but making the wrong choice… means ending up with a special triple-decker ice cream scoop on your head!" Chêne sweat dropped.

'He punishes you by giving you three lumps on the head so often, that you've named it?' Chêne thought wryly.

"Think! What'll he do_!_? It's as plain as black or white!" Bard said dramatically.

=†=†=†=†=

Sebastian paused to check the time on his silver pocket watch as the bloody and beaten henchmen groaned in pain from where they lay on the ground after Sebastian had finished with them.

"Do forgive me… but as I am rather pressed for time—" Sebastian said as he snapped his pocket watch closed. Sebastian entered the H.Q. 'Half past five… I am cutting it quite close.' Sebastian thought as he opened the door to the next room to find himself face with a whole room full of gunmen.

"He's here! Fiiiiiiire!" Another henchman called as they all opened fire on the demon butler. Sebastian easily dodged.

'Hmm… Chêne was right. It appears these humans are using guns that automatically load the next round, allowing them to fire multiple bullets rapidly. My, how humans have improved these weapons since the last time I saw them. Sebastian grabbed the round serving tray he had brought with him and threw it through the air, like a discus. It whizzed threw the air in a graceful arc, slicing fingers and weapons—rendering many of his attackers unconscious or unable to fight.

"Son of a bitch!" Another henchman yelled as he led another attack group against Sebastian, holding axes and lead pipes. Sebastian grabbed a nearby coat rack, and twirled it around, using it to beat down all who opposed him. Sebastian set the coat rack back down and flipped open his pocket watch. He reached up and caught the serving tray as it flew back into his hand.

"5:34pm." Sebastian said, reading the time on his watch.

=†=†=†=†=

"So… I'm thinking of making gumbo or jambalaya tonight, since it doesn't look like Sebastian's going to be back in time to cook supper." Chêne said. "What do you think, Finni?" A vein mark popped on Bard's forehead.

'Don't these guys know I'm tryin' to concentrate here?' Bard thought, irritated.

"Hmm… I don't know. They're both so yummy… let's flip a coin!" Finni suggested. Another vein mark popped on Bard's head.

'Apparently not…' Bard thought. Mister Tanaka took a sip of his tea and did his Santa laugh. "Geeeeez! You're being too noisy! Can't you talk with your inside voices_!_?" Bard yelled.

"Bard, you ought not to get cranky. You mustn't be getting enough calcium. Here, drink." Mei-Rin said as she slammed a bottle of milk down on the counter in front of Bard.

"Keh! Forget that… Seriously, where the heck did that guy go_!_?" Bard asked, still fuming over the whole pie scenario. If only he could ask Sebastian…

"Don't underestimate milk!" Mei-Rin scolded him.

"Yeah, listen to Mei-Rin, Bard." Chêne said, smiling cheekily at him. "If you drink lots of milk, your bones will grow strong!"

=†=†=†=†=

*** CRACK * **_**SNAP!**_** ***

"GYAAAAAAAH!" a man screamed as Sebastian twisted his arm and broke it. Sebastian dropped the man and he passed out from the pain. Sebastian walked up to the large pair of doors leading to the next room and opened them, revealing a grand dining hall. The table had been set and everything.

"There he is! Kill him!" Someone shouted. Sebastian looked up to see men armed with guns lining the balcony overhead. They opened fire on him. Sebastian held the serving tray in front of him, using it as a shield as he jumped onto the dinning table.

"Tch! He's hopping around like a jackrabbit!" a man shouted in irritation as they kept trying to shoot Sebastian. Sebastian grabbed the plates on the table and hurled them at his attackers, taking out most of the men on the balcony when the plates smashed into their heads. A man suddenly came up behind Sebastian and lunged at him with an axe. Sebastian kicked the man, and he fell backwards, off the table.

"Get all the guys in the west wing! We'll turn him into Swiss cheese!" Another man yelled as he reloaded his gun and began shooting at Sebastian again. Sebastian sighed and looked at the man the same way a parent would at a child who just couldn't learn from their mistakes. This was turning into such a bore.

"Just one mouse after another… I am not making the least bit of progress… This will never do." Sebastian said as he flipped open his pocket watch. "5:38pm."

=†=†=†=†=

"—All Right! I've made up my mind! I can't take it anymore! It's all Sebastian's fault. He shoulda been clear! I'm eating this!" Bard declared dramatically. A vein popped on his forehead and his eyes gleamed in a conniving way. "We were forced to wait, so we'll drink expensive tea as interest! Mei-Rin, tea! Finni, get the silver!"

"Yes, Sirree~!" Finni and Mei-Rin said as they and Tanaka saluted him. Chêne sweat dropped.

'First of all, you're the reason we had to wait. Second… if you're so afraid of getting a 'triple-decker ice cream scoop' on your head, why are you doing something you know will definitely piss Sebastian off… like drinking the expensive tea?' Chêne thought. She had already given up waiting for Bard to make up his mind and was currently cooking supper. The others were at least staying out of her way, since they were all still in the kitchen. She had decided on jambalaya since she was feeling too lazy to go to the market and buy the seafood she would need for the gumbo. Chêne had also taken the liberty of sending a note to Lord Randall. She had realized that even if Sebastian did manage to get back in time, Ciel probably wouldn't want to deal with anyone after going through such an ordeal, so the note explained to Lord Randall that urgent business had come up, and Ciel sent his deepest apologies for not being able to keep their appointment and that he would be happy to reschedule at a time that was more convenient. Of course, she had worded it after Ciel's own fashion and forged his handwriting since Lord Randall would suspect something if he received a note from the maid. Chêne figured Ciel wouldn't want anyone to know someone had caught him by surprise, or that he was currently playing damsel in distress.

"Let's see… the silverware should be… huh?" Finni said when he opened the drawer that should have contained the silverware.

"Is something wrong?" Mei-Rin asked.

"How odd. It should be in here, but… The silver's all gone. There's nothing left in here but spoons." Finni said, feeling puzzled. Chêne sweat dropped again.

'I guess I should have made gumbo after all.' Chêne thought. '… But I think I know where the silverware went…'

=†=†=†=†=

Sebastian flung his both his hands to side and the silver knives and forks slide out from his sleeves and into his hands. The demon butler held the silverware in between his fingers, like a ninja holding kunai. There was an air of deadly calm around the butler as he threw the silverware at his intended victims with deadly accuracy.

"What the hell_!_?" A man cried right before knife embedded itself in his forehead. Sebastian smirked sinisterly as he continued his attack while dodging a hailstorm of bullets.

"Gyaaah!" Another one of his victims cried.

"Who the hell is this bastard_!_?" Another man yelled as he continued to fire. Sebastian leaped into the air and flipped in mid-air, stunning the humans below him.

"I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that such minor feats are within my repertoire." Sebastian said as he took out the last men still standing. The chandelier creaked when Sebastian landed on it. He was now hanging from the chandelier like a bat, the tails on his coat fell down, framing him. Their silhouette looked like bat wings. "Heavens. That was unexpectedly time-consuming." Sebastian said and jumped down from the chandelier, flipping open his pocket watch once more. "5:43pm."


	17. That Butler, Most Evil2

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Most Evil<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>* Tick-tock… tick-tock… tick-tock … *<strong>

The only sound Vanel could hear now was the 'tick-tock' of the clock in the room.

'It's… gone all quiet…?' Vanel thought. It was unlike his men to be so silent after a victory.

*** Tick-tock… tick-tock… tick-tock… ***

*** Click * Clack ***

'!_!_' Vanel thought, starting when he heard the ticking of the clock being replaced with the sound of footsteps. They were coming closer. Vanel aimed his gun at the door.

*** Click * Clack ***

Vanel's hand was shaking now.

*** Click * Clack ***

The door creaked open.

"Pardon my intrusion." Sebastian said, as he stepped out of the darkness of the hallway and into the room.

"…_!_?" Vanel said in surprise.

"I have come to retrieve my master." Sebastian said, bowing gracefully.

'A butler_!_?' Vanel thought, shocked.

"Ha… Ha. I am amazed. To think you took all those men out yourself. Well I'll be damned! I was wondering what sort of big man you were, but you are nothing more than a Romeo swanning around in a swallowtail coat." Vanel said. "Who are you? An assassin hired by Phantomhive? Or maybe an ex-special forces mercenary? You are not just a butler, yes?"

"Oh, but I am. _**Just a butler**_, that is." Sebastian said.

"Ha! Is that so…? In any case, I have on intention of fighting with you, Signore _Butler_. I surrender." Vanel said nervously, lowering his gun. "However—" Vanel said as he suddenly grabbed Ciel by the hair and held the gun to the young earl's head. "I would have you leave the goods behind." Sebastian saw that Ciel had been beaten and restrained with shackles and leather belts to immobilize him. Ciel was barely conscious.

'Is this the usual treatment for an abducted child?' Sebastian wondered, remembering the pained expression on Chêne's face when she mentioned her own kidnapping. He stared emotionlessly at the man.

"You do not want a hole in your adorable young master's head, now do you? If you are a _butler_ as you say, you should know what the situation calls for, yes?" Vanel sneered as he pressed the gun harder against Ciel's temple.

"I have what you desire…" Sebastian replied coolly as he began removing the 'game' from where it had been tucked inside his coat. A bullet pierced Sebastian's head. The demon butler's eyes widened. Ciel's own eyes widened in shock.

"Se—" Ciel said, stunned as the loud bangs of firing guns was heard and Sebastian's body was caught in a spray of bullets, piercing his body all over. A stray bullet hit the 'game' box and the drugs spilled from the container. Sebastian's bloody and limp body hit they flood. Ciel looked to where the bullet had come from. It turned out a group of gunmen had been hiding in a secret passage behind one of the paintings in the room. Ciel scowled.

"D—id we get him…?" Vanel asked hesitantly, as though he couldn't believe how easy it had been. "… Ha ha ha! Sorry, Romeo… but this game is mine!" Vanel said. He held Ciel's head up by his hair. "And after he went to the trouble of coming to get you… how sad for you… little Phantomhive. "You see, up against the 'Queen's watchdog,' I had to have a joker in hand. And once I kill you, all will be perfetto. You were in our way from the very beginning, watching us like the police! Eeh? I'll get rid of you… and conquer Inghilterra our way!" Vanel shouted.

'He has gotten awfully confident, just because he killed one butler…' Ciel thought, irritated.

"… But I must say… you are too pretty to dismember, little Phantomhive. I bruised you up a bit, but I should still be able to sell you in one piece." Vanel said as he eased the barrel of his sun under Ciel's eye-patch and tugged it off of Ciel's face. "Now, now. Don't you be frightened. I will drug you so you do not feel a thing by the time a pervert comes to take you away—"

"Hey." Ciel said, interrupting Vanel's horrid little speech. "Play time is over." Vanel flinched at the glare Ciel was giving him.

"…_!_?" Vanel said in confusion.

"I can't imagine the floor makes for comfortable slumber. Just how long are you going to _feign sleep_?" Ciel said, glancing at Sebastian's bloody body. Sebastian's hand twitched.

"I—It can't be_!_!" Vanel gasped in shock.

"… My goodness. The firearms of today have certainly improved greatly in terms of power, have they not?" Sebastian said casually as he rose up from the floor and onto his feet, like something straight out of an 'Exorcist' movie. "Those from _**a hundred years ago**_ do not even compare." Sebastian covered his mouth and coughed into his hand.

"_What are you waiting for!_? _Kill hiiiiiim!_!" Vanel screamed, scared out of his mind.

"**Allow me to return these."** Sebastian said, smirking as he opened his hand to reveal the bloody bullets he had coughed up. Sebastian threw them at his attackers. The bullets whizzed through the air, killing their intended targets. Vanel's henchmen fell down dead.

"…! ...!" Vanel said, too shocked to do anything other than stare.

"Alas. What a pity." Sebastian said as he held up one of his bullet hole riddled coattails. " My _**clothes**_ are full of holes."

"That's because you were playing around, you fool." Ciel said, scowling at Sebastian.

"I was simply following Young Master's order to the letter. Your order to act as a butler… that is. I've told you before, have I not? You should be more specific in your orders, Young Master." Sebastian said. "Besides… that really is such a good look for you." Vanel flinched when Sebastian took a step forward. "You look jut like a caterpillar… it is so hideous and wonderful all at once. It befits one as small and weak as yourself."

"Get back!" Vanel screamed as Sebastian continued to approach them.

"I thought it would be lovely to take in that view a little longer… Though I suppose Chêne will be quite upset when she finds out you have been treated in such a manner. She will likely scold me for it, since she asked me to bring you back unharmed." Sebastian said patronizingly as he stared at Ciel.

"Stop!" Vanel yelled.

"… Who do you think you are talking to?" Ciel said, glaring at Sebastian.

"_STOOOP!_" Vanel screamed at Sebastian. Sebastian immediately froze, realized the Mafioso was probably panicked enough by now to actually pull the trigger if he came any closer. "I… I-I-I'm telling you to stop! Get any closer and I will kill him!" Vanel shouted. Sebastian brought his hand up, holding his chin as though he was thinking.

"Then… what shall I do?" Sebastian said calmly.

"Hurry it up. My arm hurts." Ciel said carelessly.

"Shut up! Be Quiet!" Vanel yelled. Sebastian chuckled in amusement and tried to fake a concerned expression, but he only ended up smirking wryly.

"But, Young Master… you will be killed if I move closer." Sebastian said mockingly.

"Are you… going to defy our 'covenant'?" Ciel asked angrily.

"I shall do no such thing. Since _**that day**_, I have always been Young Master's faithful servant. I shall do whatever Young Master wishes… in exchange for the sacrifice… and the pleasure that has been offered." Sebastian said, referring to that day Ciel summoned him and Sebastian slaughtered the entire cult in front of Ciel and Chêne. "Now…"

"What the hell are you talking about… you spooks_!_?" Vanel yelled.

"…Young Master. **I do believe I taught you how to beg?**" Sebastian said, smirking and holding a finger up besides his mouth and tilting his head slightly to side coyly.

"I command you. Rescue me!" Ciel demanded.

"_I told you to shuuuuuut uuuuup!"_ Vanel screamed, pulling the trigger.

*** BANG! ***

Vanel stared in shock at Ciel. The boy was completely unharmed from the bullet he had just fired, no bullet hole or anything… but his gun was smoking, so Vanel knew he had really just fired his gun.

"Wh… Why… is… he… alive…" Vanel stuttered in horror. What were these people?

"Are you looking for something?" Sebastian said. Vanel froze when he realized the butler was now standing behind him and leaning over his shoulder, holding the bullet that should have hit Ciel. "Permit me… to return this to you." Sebastian said as he dropped the bullet into the front pocket of Vanel's jacket. "I shall be taking my master back. If you would please remove that filthy arm from his person?" Sebastian said as he made a circular motion with his finger.

"GYAAAAAAAAH_!_?" Vanel screamed in pain as his arm suddenly twisted and broke itself. "Ah…Aaah…" Vanel gasped in agony.

"This game wasn't all that interesting either." Ciel said, staring down at Vanel as Sebastian picked him up. Sebastian walked to the other side of the room and placed Ciel in an armchair before beginning the task of removing his restraints.

"W-Wait! You…! You are just a butler, right!" Vanel stammered. "I…! I can't die here like this! I will pay you five—No, ten—times your current wages to be my bodyguard! You can have all the booze and girls you want… So…! Come to my side!" Sebastian paused when he remembered something Chêne had said once when he had tried to persuade her into doing a chore he knew she wouldn't particularly care for, and she was back-sassing him: _'Come to the dark side, we have cookies!'_ she had said, rolling her eyes. At the time, he had thought what she said to be utter nonsense, but now it made a little more sense… though it was still nonsense. He ripped one of the leather straps wrapped around Ciel with his bare hands, not even bothering with the buckle.

"… My apologies, Mister Vanel…" Sebastian said, though he didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "… But I have no interest in man-made rubbish, coin or otherwise. For, you see… **I am a devil of a butler.**" Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowed demonically as he gave Vanel a devilish smirk. Vanel was gone. He had mentally cracked, drool dribbling down the corner of his mouth as he stared wide-eyed at the approaching demon butler. "So long as the Young Master possesses the 'Mark of the Covenant'… I am his faithful dog." Sebastian said as he bit the finger of his glove, using his teeth to hold it as Sebastian removed the glove from his hand. "A 'sacrifice'… a 'wish'… and a 'covenant' bind me to my master." Sebastian said, holding up his hand, revealing the mark of the covenant between Ciel and himself. **"Until I claim his soul."** The room began to darken, and dense shadows that seemed to dance, as though they were alive, surrounded Sebastian's figure as he stalked toward the cowering Mafioso.

"Too bad for you… This is game over." Ciel said.

=†=†=†=†=

{Outside The Phantomhive Manor}

"What the hell! Whose bright idea was it to make chopsticks outta the trees in the garden 'cos we ain't got any silver_!_?" Bard roared as a vein popped on his head. Carving twigs into chopsticks with a box-knife was not as easy as it sounded.

"Mister Bard's" Finni and Mei-Rin answered. Finni's stomach growled from hunger, and Mei-Rin sighed. Mister Tanaka was playing with the whirly-bird toy he had carved from a stick.

"Mister Sebastian is really late getting back…" Mei-Rin said, sighing.

"He iiiiiiis, right? Chêne will be done cooking soon." Finni said. He saw something out the corner of his eye. "Ah! Mister Sebastian, welcome home!" Finni said happily when he saw the butler approaching them, carrying Ciel. The back door slammed open, and Chêne appeared.

"Did I hear someone say they're back_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly. She had been coming from the kitchen to let them know dinner was ready when she heard Finni's last sentence. Sebastian was wearing his usual shit-eating grin, and Ciel looked like he was sulking about being carried.

"I have returned." Sebastian said calmly. Everyone stared at them in silence for moment before bombarding them with questions.

"Mister Sebastian, what happened to your clothes_!_?" Mei-Rin yelled.

"Sebastian, your message was too hard to understand!" Bard shouted angrily.

"Young Master, you're hurt! Hey, wait the Young master was out too?" Finni yelled.

"We have to treat those wounds! Mister Tanaka, please go get the first-aid kit!" Chêne said. Tanaka saluted her and ran off to get the first-aid kit. "Are you all right Ciel?"

"I just tripped outside…" Ciel lied. Chêne gave Ciel a look that let him know she wasn't buying it and wanted the whole explanation later. Ciel sweat dropped.

"My message?" Sebastian asked Bard.

"The pie! The pie!" Bard shouted. Ciel noticed Finni and Mei-Rin were staring at him, and he could practically see sparkles floating in the air around them.

"What is it?" Ciel asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.

"That's… like 'up, up and away'! Looks fun!" Finni said. Chêne suppressed a laugh at the image of Sebastian holding Ciel above his head, like when you usually played it with a baby.

"Being carried around like a princess…oooh, how nice…" Mei-Rin said, blushing.

"Yeah, normally you have to wait to be a bride to be carried like that!" Chêne teased Ciel without thinking about how that comment could possibly backfire on her.

"Oh, would you like to be my next 'bride'?" Sebastian said coyly, smirking devilishly at her and carefully putting Ciel down on his own too feet. The boy was blushing, mortified at being likened to a princess… and of all things a _bride_. Chêne blushed beet red, only just now realizing how she had sounded.

"Shut u—" Chêne yelled at Sebastian, embarrassed, as Ciel yelled,

"There's nothing fun about it what so ever!" and gave poor Finni and Chêne a knock on the noggin.

"The triple-decker ice cream scoop… owie…" Finni said sadly.

"That does kind of hurt…" Chêne said. Her head was so hard, she only ended up with a single scoop.

"Hey, listen to me! I thought so hard, I couldn't do anything!" Bard yelled at Sebastian.

"So you have yet to do anything…?" Sebastian asked, a vein mark popping on his head. He gave bard a triple-decker ice cream scoop and then some.

"Young Master, forgive me." Sebastian said as he bowed and knelt. Ciel was slightly surprised, and the other servants were puzzled over his behavior. "As butler to the Phantomhive family, this is an unpardonable disgrace… I do not know how I should atone for this… I have been unable to prepare dinner this evening." Sebastian said. Chêne nearly face-faulted.

"Seriously? That's what has you so upset?" Chêne said in disbelief. "I don't know what Bard told you, but I already took care of dinner. It's in the kitchen waiting to be served. I made jambalaya tonight. Don't worry about Lord Randall, I already canceled the appointment Ciel made with him for dinner tonight." She turned to Ciel. "I know I shouldn't have done it without checking with you first, but I thought you would probably be too tired after… tripping… to entertain a guest." Ciel nodded.

"You assumed rightly." Ciel said. "Let's eat. I am feeling rather peckish." Tanaka returned with the first aid kit.

"After we treat your wounds." Chêne said. Ciel tried to scowl at her, but it looked like more of a pout.

=†=†=†=†=

{A Few Days Later…}

"Let's see, let's see!" Bard said as he read the newspaper. "Ferro Company, an Italian trading firm. Someone attacked them, and there were loads of casualties…?" Bard read out loud.

"Did something happen in London?" Mei-Rin asked as she brought the laundry in from where it had been drying outside on the clothesline. Chêne helped Mei-Rin start folding the sheets.

"Sure sounds like it." Chêne said. "What does the paper say, Bard?"

"The survivors could only say things like, 'monster,' or 'devil,' so they all got sent to the hospital." Bard said as he scanned the article.

"Eeep! That's scaaary! What could it have beeeen_!_?" Finni cried, blue with shock. Chêne sweat dropped.

'I guess it's a good thing they didn't find out…' Chêne thought. Ciel had told her the whole story… once she pried it out of him.

"There were rumors that Ferro was doing terrible things to make money. _So his victims' grudges became vengeful spirits~~!_" Bard said in a creepy voice.

"Eeek!" Finni and Mei-Rin squealed in fright. Chêne shivered. She knew it was a joke, but she wasn't good with stuff like ghosts… which was strange, considering she was just fine living under the same roof as a devil… ghosts and spiders where her Achilles' heel.

***CLAP!***

"Kyaaah!" Chêne cried in surprise, not caring how girly she sounded.

"It's a ghost!" Finni cried.

"The sound of ghostly rapping!" Mei-Rin cried. The three of them threw themselves at Bard, tackling the chef out of his chair, as though he could protect them from the ghost.

"… What are you all doing?" Sebastian asked, clearly appalled at their behavior. Chêne noticed that his hands were together, like they usually are when a person finishes clapping.

'It was Sebastian clapping to get our attention… duh.' Chêne realized, feeling like an idiot.

"Ah… Mister Sebastian…" Finni and Mei-Rin said in relief when they saw the reliable butler. Sebastian picked up the newspaper, confiscating it.

"If you… have the time to fool around, hurry up and get back to work!" Sebastian said sternly. The other servants ran like the wind. You could practically see horns popping out of Sebastian's head as he scolded them. Chêne tried to make a run for it too, but he snatched her by the back of her collar. The others kept running, leaving her alone with the demon. Chêne sweat dropped.

'Traitors…' She thought, chagrined.

"Really…!" Sebastian sighed, exasperated. He could here the three stooges crying about how he scolded them.

"We really were working, honest! See, Mei-Rin and I finished the laundry already!" Chêne said, pointing to the abandoned basket of folded bed sheets.

"Good for you." Sebastian deadpanned. "Why were you and the others lying on top of Bard when I came in?" Chêne sighed and blushed, embarrassed at how she had over reacted at the mere thought of a fake ghost.

"Bard was saying something about ghosts because of that article." Chêne said, pointing at the newspaper in Sebastian's hand. "… You what a chicken I am whenever it comes to ghosts…" Chêne mumbled, embarrassed. Sebastian opened the newspaper and began scanning the article.

"I still do not understand how you can be so frightened of ghosts…" Sebastian said. '… When she is so unafraid of me, despite knowing what I am.' Sebastian finished in his thoughts.

"I've already told you a hundred times, because ghosts are _real_!" Chêne said. "I saw one, for real at the myrtle plantation back home, in Louisiana. It was a little girl, and no one could explain how I could be playing with a little girl all in white, when I was the only girl around that age that was there in a tour group that day… I had thought it was kind of strange for her to be so dressed up…" Sebastian gave her a blank stare.

'…If it was friendly, why are you scared of them? I almost killed you when we first met, but you're fine with me…' Sebastian sighed. Human women were hard to understand… but Chêne… "I just don't understand you." Sebastian told her frankly.

"You're a guy, Sebastian. You're not supposed to understand the inner workings of the female mind. As Oscar Wilde and my dad put it, 'women are meant to be loved, not understood.' My dad said he gave up a long time ago because he didn't want his brain to implode."

'You have my deepest sympathies, Mister LeBeau…' Sebastian thought. He couldn't even imagine how difficult it must have been to raise such a strange child. Sebastian turned back to the newspaper and his eyes landed on the article Chêne had wanted him to see. "Well, well…" He said, smirking. Chêne really was such a scaredy-cat… she knew full well there was no ghost involved in the Ferro Company incident, and yet she still cried out in fright earlier.

*** Ring~! Ring~! ***

The bell for the Study was ringing. Sebastian refolded the paper and handed it to Chêne.

"Oh dear. What could the Young Master want now?" Sebastian wondered out loud.

"I'll bet his sweet tooth is bothering him again." Chêne said. Sebastian opened the door and paused, turning slightly to look back at her.

"Chêne, about that incident…" Sebastian said. He held a finger to his lips. "Shh…" Sebastian said, smirking mischievously at her before leaving.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I kept the "just a butler" and "devil of a butler" part in there, because he original line in Japanese "watashi wa aku made shitsuji desukara" is a play on words that can also sound like he is saying either "I am just a butler" or "I am a demon and a butler."


	18. That Butler, Busy

Yay, we're finally starting on the second manga volume now!

I own nothing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Busy<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>A butler begins his day early. He is the last to finish his work late at night, and the first to begin work in the morning. Such is the duty of a butler who manages the household.<p>

"Hmm, my hair has grown rather long…" Sebastian observed when he looked at his reflection while getting dressed for the day. "… What a pity… I cannot trim it as I please." Chêne had warned him early on that humans would notice if his hair never grew. After being away from the human world for so long, Sebastian had forgotten a few trivial things like that. Sebastian tucked part of his hair behind his ear. "Humans are most troublesome." Sebastian said, pulling on his swallowtail coat and gloves. "Now then, off we go." Sebastian said, making his way to the kitchen. 'My first task is to assign the day's work to the servants. Chêne is not included this time because it is her day off...' Sebastian thought as he opened the kitchen door, revealing Tanaka and the three stooges. They were all waiting for him patiently. Normally Chêne would have cooked breakfast for them and fed them all by now, but it was her day off, and charcoal was not a recommended part of any healthy diet, so asking Bard to cook was out of the question. On Chêne's days off, the servants had decided it was safer to fast than risk the stomach aches.

"Good morning, everyone. It is about time you should all be getting to work. Mei-Rin, see to the linens." Sebastian said.

"Yes, Sir!" Mei-Rin said, saluting him like a good little soldier.

"Finni, tend to the trees in the garden." Sebastian said.

"Kaaaay!" Finni said happily.

"Bard, please make preparations for lunch." Sebastian ordered.

"Gotcha." Bard said drowsily, still not fully awake without his morning coffee.

"And Mister Tanaka, you are doing just fine." Sebastian said.

"Hoh, hoh, hoh." Tanaka said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Provided you have understood your duties, off you go!" Sebastian said, clapping his hands to signal it was time to start working. "Step lively!"

The three stooges shot of to work, like racehorses shooting out of the gate after hearing the starting gun at the racetrack. Once the other servants were dispatched, Sebastian began preparing the early morning tea and breakfast so that it would be ready in time for the young master's awakening. Chêne walked into the kitchen, wearing a purple plaid day dress with black trim and a little black hat with a matching ribbon. It was simple and modest, but still rather attractive.

"Going somewhere?" Sebastian asked. Chêne hardly ever woke up this early on her day off, and she only wore something other than her uniform when she went to town. Chêne nodded.

"Yeah, I'm off to town, I saw a book that might you know… _help_ me when I was there on an errand yesterday, but I didn't have time to stop." Chêne said. As she sliced her self a piece of bread from the loaf she had baked yesterday. Sebastian paused in his work for a moment.

"You are still trying to find a way back to your old world?" Sebastian asked evenly, barely managing to hide the ire he was feeling. He disliked the thought of his favorite toy—coworker— leaving with _great_ intensity. "What happens if you succeed? You will at least say goodbye to the young master, will you not?" Chêne looked away guiltily.

She didn't want to leave any of them—Phantomhive manor had become her second home and family, but She had to find some way to let her real family know she was okay. She had been searching off and on ever since she first arrived in their world. Ciel had said he understood how she felt, but Chêne still didn't want to leave him alone. He would have Sebastian, but it wouldn't be the same. Sebastian knew this and used it to send her on a guilt trip every time she mentioned the possibility of her leaving. Sebastian and Chêne always ended up arguing, and though it might seem like a better idea not to mention it to Sebastian altogether, not telling him and having him find out after the fact was… much scarier.

"I'm not really trying to go back anymore." Chêne said. "I just want to—"

"If you are not going back, there is no point in looking." Sebastian said coolly. He didn't believe that she would not give in to temptation and go back to her own world if there was a way. Chêne had a strong character for most humans, but she was still only human. They give in all too easily when tempted. He would know, being a demon.

"Why can't you just trust me? I just want to find a way to send them a message! They deserve to know I'm alright." Chêne said, determinedly.

"You said you would stay for Ciel because you care for him as though he were your younger sibling, but you already have a younger sister at home, do you not? It would only make sense for you to want to return to her. There is nothing here for you that you did not already have before." Sebastian said. Chêne stared at him.

"Are you _trying_ to get me to leave? Why do you keep insisting I will?" Chêne asked, feeling a little hurt. 'There is one thing in this world that's irreplaceable in my old one, and that's you, Sebastian.' Chêne thought, but she couldn't tell him that. It would give him too much power over her. Sebastian ignored her as he continued preparing Ciel's breakfast. "Well fine, then!" Chêne yelled, having had enough of being on the receiving end of Sebastian's cold shoulder. She ran out the room, slamming the door as she went.

Sebastian sighed. Sebastian knew that the longer they talked about it, the crueler he would get, so he had restrained himself from commenting any further on the matter. However, Chêne never seemed to deal well with long silences…

=†=†=†=†=

"Pardon me, Sir." Sebastian said, knocking on the door of Ciel's bedroom. "Good morning, Young Master. It is time for you to wake up now." Sebastian said as he wheeled in the serving cart. Sebastian opened the curtains, letting the sunlight stream into his room. "It is a fine day today." Ciel groaned, and rolled over onto his back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"…" Ciel said when he noticed Chêne wasn't there that day. He had forgotten she had a day off coming up. Ciel still had two band-aids on his face from when Vanel roughed him up the other day, but thanks to Chêne's nursing skills, Ciel was mostly healed. Ciel sat up and yawned as Sebastian poured the tea. "Today's tea is the Assam, hm?"

"Just as I would expect from the Young Master. I had heard that good tea leaves were ready in Assam, so I had some sent here." Sebastian said.

"By the way, I've invited the children of Earl Burton's orphanage to the manor." Ciel said as he read the newspaper and sipped his tea. A noble's wealth exists to contribute to society. They practice charity using their abundant fortunes. The distinguished Phantomhive family also engages in volunteer activities, without exception.

"That is a splendid idea. When will they be joining us?" Sebastian asked.

"_Tomorrow." _Ciel said.

'_Tomorrow?'_ Sebastian thought, slightly stunned.

"To make parents buy something, you must start with the children." Ciel said.

'Why, this little bra—Young Master. Does he believe he can get anything done so long as I am here to take care of it? He works his people (?) far too hard.' Sebastian thought grudgingly. "Very well, Sir." Sebastian said, sporting his shit-eating grin. "I shall entertain even the littlest guests in a manner worthy of the Phantomhive name." Sebastian said, bowing.


	19. That Butler, Busy2

I'm sorry for such a super long wait everybody! (DX) I'll try not to abandon this one again! (bows down begging for forgiveness) I hope you enjoy the story! (^_^;)

I own nothing.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Busy 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"By the way, I've invited the children of Earl Burton's orphanage to the manor." Ciel said as he read the newspaper and sipped his tea. A noble's wealth exists to contribute to society. They practice charity using their abundant fortunes. The distinguished Phantomhive family also engages in volunteer activities, without exception._

_"That is a splendid idea. When will they be joining us?" Sebastian asked._

_"Tomorrow." Ciel said._

_'Tomorrow?' Sebastian thought, slightly stunned._

_"To make parents buy something, you must start with the children." Ciel said._

_'Why, this little bra—Young Master. Does he believe he can get anything done so long as I am here to take care of it? He works his people (?) far too hard.' Sebastian thought grudgingly. "Very well, Sir." Sebastian said, sporting his shit-eating grin. "I shall entertain even the littlest guests in a manner worthy of the Phantomhive name." Sebastian said, bowing._

* * *

><p>"Oh, yes... and the Herend Chinoiserie tea set you ordered just the other day has arrived, Sir." Sebastian said as he began dressing Ciel. "Therefore, the afternoon tea for today will be Keemun. We also have berries, so I think a summer pudding of currants and other berries might do nicely. What do you think?"<p>

"Do what you will." Ciel said carelessly as Sebastian tied Ciel's bow tie.

"Very good, Sir. Then I shall set about the preparations for tomorrow at once." Sebastian said, taking his leave. 'Now then... here is where a butler's true work begins.' Sebastian thought.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Downstairs—Sebastian's personal kitchen}

Sebastian rolled up his sleeves, tied his apron, and pulled his cooking gloves on. He stared at them for a moment. They had been Chêne's idea. Once they had added on more staff, it had been necessary for Sebastian to be able to hide the contract mark on his hands at all times, so that no humans other than Ciel or Chêne would find out his true identity. Not everyone was as accepting of demons as they were. Chêne had come up with the idea of cooking with gloves because it was actually something that a few high-class restaurants in her world required chefs to do, since it was supposedly more hygienic. Oddly enough, Chêne had also said that hiding his contract mark would not have been a problem if they were in her world, because tattoos were extremely common there, and pentacles had become such a mainstream symbol that no one would've taken it seriously at all.

"Well, shall we get started?" Sebastian said, smirking, as he clapped his hands together. It was unfortunate that he and Chêne had had another fight, but she would soon forgive him, just as she always had. Chêne seemed unable to stay mad at anyone for very long. Sebastian had decided that she was probably incapable of holding a grudge. Well, perhaps he would 'accidentally' make a little something extra, and give the leftovers to Chêne to help speed up the process. Sebastian opened the cookbook to the recipe for making chocolate that could be poured into a mould and began carrying out the instructions as he read.

_Finely chop the best dark and milk couverture and mix. Melt over a bowl of 60__° C water. After boiling and then cooling slightly, add some fresh cream. Cool while stirring, and add some cointreau when the mixture is at body temperature. Then, pour into the mould, and—_

"Gyaaaaaaaah_!_!" Sebastian was brought out of the graceful rhythm in with which he had been reading and preparing the chocolate when he heard a disturbingly loud scream of panic from who could only be Mei-Rin.

"..._!_?" Sebastian said, slightly taken aback. "What is going on?" The demon butler wondered out loud as he furrowed his brow slightly in irritation. What could have possibly gone wrong now? Chêne usually managed to keep Mei-Rin and the others' little mishaps to a minimum for him, but since Chêne wasn't working today, and they had just had a fight... who knew what mayhem Mei-Rin was causing without her babysitter around.

=†=†=†=†=

{The laundry room}

"Mei-Rin?" Sebastian said as he opened the door cautiously. "What on earth is going—"

"_Mister Sebastiaaaaaaan!"_ Mei-Rin yelled hysterically as she threw herself at him, trying to outrun the avalanche of bubbles that had almost buried her before he opened the door.

"_!_?" Sebastian said, startled. "Why are there bubbles everywhere_!_?" Sebastian yelled, stunned. The entire room was filled from floor to ceiling with soap bubbles. How was that even possible?

"This detergent! I put it in!" Mei-Rin cried, pointing at the box of laundry detergent she was holding in her hand. "XXX (30) spoonfuls, just as the directions say, but something seems to have gone wrooooong! Miss Chêne usually does this part for me, but she told me yesterday that the instructions were on the baaaack!" Mei-Rin sobbed, hopping Sebastian wouldn't punish her too badly. Sebastian took the box from the sobbing maid and looked at it. The amounts to be used for the different sized loads were written down on the back in roman numerals.

"Mei-Rin. This reads _III (3)_ spoonfuls, not _XXX (30)._" Sebastian bluntly informed her. It was beyond him how anyone could make such an idiotic mistake.

"_Eh!_?" Mei-Rin shouted, startled, flinching and going blue with shock at the magnitude of her mistake. So, it really was her fault for misreading it!

'Why this imbeci—that is to say, housemaid. It would seem the problem no longer lies in her eyesight. Why does she fail to realize that there is something clearly wrong with her own brain and not the instructions?' Sebastian thought. 'Word has it that the public adores silly maids, but I do not think I will ever understand it. (And I have no intention to do so.) _I myself would like to wring her neck._ At least when Chêne thinks she might be mistaken, she checks with me before things turn out like this...' "Haah... all right." Sebastian said, sighing in exasperation and resignation. This mess wasn't going to fix itself. "For the moment, please leave this to me." Sebastian quickly scrubbed the floor, cleaned up the bubbles, washed the sheets hung them outside on the clothesline to dry. "... Whew" Sebastian said, wiping a bubble off of his head once everything was done. Mei-Rin stared in awe at the now pristine white sheets that were gently swaying in the breeze. Sebastian had been _fast._ "I still have much to do, so I shall be taking my leave. Please return to work as well." Sebastian told the blushing maid as he left to continue his own work.

=†=†=†=†=

"Really..." Sebastian said as he returned to his kitchen. "All this when I am already running short on time." He said as he shut the door behind him. "Now, where was I...?" Sebastian said, smirking as he held up the frying pan and began reading again.

_Place the butter and water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Extinguish the gas. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture. After stirring the mixture with a wooden spatula, heat on a low flame—_

_*KABOOM!*_

The room shook slightly from the force of the explosion from down the hall.

"_!_?" Sebastian said. "What is it this time_!_?"

=†=†=†=†=

As Sebastian approached the main kitchen, where Bard was supposed to be preparing Ciel's lunch, he noticed that there was smoke coming out of the doorway, and the door frame was cracked and scorched with burn marks. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened. Bard was sitting on the floor, in front of the oven... holding a bazooka. If Chêne had seen that, she would have face-faulted. What was a weapon like that doing in the 1800s...? The whole kitchen looked like a warzone, and Bard had been fried black. He even had an afro now.

"Well, ya see, I got this new weapon from back home, but..." Bard said. "It doesn't work at all... Geez!"

"Making roast lamb with lavender does not require that much heat... To begin with, is that even a tool for cooking?" Sebastian said, suddenly feeling exhausted

"Don'cha sweat the details! Cooking is art! And art is explosion!" Bard roared passionately, clenching his fist.

"Is it now." Sebastian said, stunned. That was the first he had ever heard of it... No, wait—He seemed to recall Chêne watching an 'anime' on her 'potable DVD player,' that had been in her bag to entertain her younger sister during her family's trip, with the young master one time that had a character that had said something to that effect before... The two incidents had better not be related, for Chêne's sake. Either way, this was ridiculous. 'Why, this imbec—rather, chef. You should talk about cooking after you have actually 'cooked' something. I believe _eighty percent_ of what you have managed to 'cook' has been _charcoal. _The other twenty percent was hazardous waste.' Sebastian thought, chagrined. 'Save your art for your hairstyle, and cook something edible... otherwise... _I wish for you to become charcoal yourself.'_

* * *

><p>Author's note: If you're curious about why some of this is in normal (parentheses), it's because that's how it was written in the manga, and I wanted to stay close to the original, since I think it's funny. (^_^)<p> 


	20. That Butler, Busy3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Busy 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

'_Why, this imbec—rather, chef. You should talk about cooking after you have actually 'cooked' something. I believe eighty percent of what you have managed to 'cook' has been charcoal. The other twenty percent was hazardous waste.' Sebastian thought, chagrined. 'Save your art for your hairstyle, and cook something edible... otherwise... I wish for you to become charcoal yourself.'_

* * *

><p>"Haah... all right. We still have the ground meat and vegetables, so let us make do with that." Sebastian said, sighing wearily, his brow furrowed in annoyance. Before Bard could even say '' Sebastian had already chopped up the ingredients. The demon butler then rolled the meat and veggies up into a cabbage leaf. Then, he boiled it and wrapped it in slices of bacon, and decorated it with fancy toothpicks. They weren't usually wrapped in bacon, but that was something Chêne had done when she made them one time, since it gave the small meal extra flavor and protein, and the young master had taken a liking to the combination.<p>

"... Whew!" Sebastian said, wiping his brow, once he had finished preparing lunch. Today's lunch was now stuffed cabbage and mint potato salad. For some reason, he was feeling more tired than usual today.

"Whoa!" Bard said, impressed by Sebastian's speed and quick thinking.

"This should suffice for the time being. I leave the tidying up to you." Sebastian said, taking his leave before anything else could go wrong.

"Yessir!" Bard said, saluting him.

=†=†=†=†=

"Unbelievable! Not one shred of my work is getting done!" Sebastian said, aggravated, as he returned to his private kitchen and slammed the door shut. "Let us finish this right away." He opened the bag of brown sugar and began reading the directions again.

_Spread the brown sugar on a baking sheet. Heat the oven to 80__ C—_

*WHAM!*

The sugar exploded out of the bag an flew all over the place when Finni suddenly slammed into Sebastian out of nowhere.

"Uwaaaaaaahh!" Finni cried as he clung to Sebastian.

"... Now it is your turn, I take it..." Sebastian said, sweat dropping as Finni clung to him and sobbed something incoherent.

"Uwaaahn! Mister Sebastiaaaan!" Finni wailed. Sebastian sighed wearily. He should've known this was coming... nothing ever went smoothly when these idiots were left to there own devices.

"Are you an infant? I can discern not a word if you persist with your crying. What happened?" Sebastian asked.

=†=†=†=†=

{Outside, in the Phantomhive Gardens}

"..." Sebastian said, his mouth hanging open slightly as he stared at the scene of destruction before him, his eyes cast in shadow.

* Whoooosh*

The wind blew through the barren wasteland that had once been a lush and green garden. The flowers were all dead, and the tree's had all suddenly lost their foliage. The lawn was withered and dry, like hay.

"I was going to trim the branches... The lawn... but I forgot all about the herbicide sprayer being broken a while back_!_!" Finni cried, bursting into tears. "Uwaaahn! I'm really sorry!"

'Why this imbec—_this imbecile!_!' Sebastian thought furiously as Finni continued to cry and beg for forgiveness. 'How can a gardener be so clumsy? Though the saying goes, 'an idiot and a pair of scissors can both be of use,' giving this idiot a pair of scissors is trouble in itself. He refers to something that happened two or three days ago as being 'a while back.' The way his brain can easily cast aside a blunder of that degree... _I have surpassed anger, and I am, in fact, rather impressed.'_ Sebastian thought, smiling wanly. "Haaah... there is nothing even I can do about this. Go and buy some trees at the garden shop..." Sebastian said, getting ready to hand Finni some of his own pocket money to pay for the supplies.

"What sort of trees should I get?" Finni asked timidly. "Chêne usually helps me pick them out and design the garden, since she knows a lot about flowers."

"Today is Chêne's day off. You are the gardener. The design of the garden is your responsibility. Purchase what you deem appropriate." Sebastian told him. Finni immediately perked up when he heard that.

"Eh_!_? Then! Then! I wanna make a garden a cool as a combo robot!" Finni said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with childlike wonder and excitement. Finni's reception signal was on full power, and the air around the boy seemed to glow and sparkle from his sudden burst of happiness.

'I have lived for quite sometime, but this is my first encounter with a _being from outer space_. How does he expect me to respond to his beaming smile?' Sebastian thought, frozen in place from shock. No wonder Chêne always helped Finni with the garden's design. She was usually the one that supervised the others while he carried out the more difficult and specialized tasks by himself, but after dealing with these three's shenanigans all day... Sebastian had decided that Ciel was obviously not paying Chêne enough. It was amazing she didn't have any gray hair from all the stress. Finni stared at Sebastian while the demon butler was lost in thought, neither of them knowing what the other was thinking.

"Mister Sebastian?" Finni said, tilting his head to the side.

"Ha!" Sebastian gasped, snapping out of his daze.

"The young master'll get angry, so do please give me the money riiiiiight quiiiick!" Finnie said, smiling cheerfully as he poked Sebastian playfully on the forehead. "Sheesh, you can't just let your mind wander off like that! You big silly~ Just kidding!"

"_!_!" Sebastian thought, shuddering. Did he really just hear that from _Finni,_ of all people_!_? He quickly gave Finni the money, just so he could be rid of him.

"Yaaay! Be back in a jiff!" Finni said happily as he ran off, leaving behind a gaunt, physically and mentally drained Sebastian. One of his hairs even fell out from stress.

'I have had enough. At time like these, yes... I want to see _her_.' Sebastian thought as he ran to where his own personal oasis awaited him. 'A supple body, flowing black hair, fierce eyes that shine like amber...I must hurry... to the place where she awaits me.' Sebastian thought as he slammed open the door leading to the inner courtyard. 'Yes...' Sebastian thought as he panted from the effort of sprinting there at top speed, and he gazed upon the beauty before him. '... to her.' The adorable little amber-eyed black cat before him mewed hello and purred as it rubbed up against him. You could practically see sparkles floating around the demon butler as he exuded an aura of peace and blissful happiness upon seeing _her_.

=†=†=†=†=

"Now, now. There is plenty more, so you must not gobble it so..." Sebastian told the cat affectionately as he watched it eat the premium blend cat food that Chêne had picked out for it. They had a schedule worked out between them so they wouldn't accidently over or underfeed her. Sebastian fed her in the afternoon, and Chêne fed her in the evening. The cat usually hunted the mice that roamed the countryside close to the mansion for breakfast. Sebastian had lived for a very long time, and over the centuries he had come to the human world for contracts many times, but it wasn't until recently that he had become so attached to felines. He had encountered the adorable, but dignified creatures before, but had never given them anything other than a passing glance... that is, until Chêne had convinced Ciel to let her keep this particular cat. The young master had a minor cat allergy, so keeping it inside was completely out of the question as far as Ciel was concerned, but Chêne had used what she liked to refer to as her 'ultimate weapon,' and she gave Ciel her 'sad puppy eyes' with a quivering lower lip for extra effect, and had somehow managed to coax Ciel into agreeing to let her keep it as long as it stayed outside the manor house. So Chêne had built it a little 'cat palace' that included a scratching post and a soft, warm, and fuzzy bed and blanket. The reason Chêne had been so insistent upon keeping this cat, was that it looked just like the cat her family had when she was a child. Since they looked so alike, Chêne even named it after her family's cat. So, this little black beauty before him had been christened 'Jasper II.' Chêne had told them that the original Jasper had treated the infant Chêne as though she were her own kitten. Jasper I had protected, played, and cuddled with Chêne ever since Chêne's birth, and had continued to do so, until she was hit by a car when Chêne was five. The original Jasper was probably the cause for Chêne's deep love and affection for all felines. Sebastian had found it quite amusing that she really had been 'raised by an animal' in a way, as he had teased her when he saw her once appalling table manners. Chêne, of course hadn't shared his amusement. He hadn't understood her attachment to the little fur balls at first, but the more time he spent watching Chêne play with it, the more he came to understand their appeal.

'I find cats most agreeable. They only say (do) that which is completely necessary. They are quite adorable. They do not exist in my world.' Sebastian thought. 'Pets do exist over there, but...' He watched as the cat licked its whiskers, and began grooming itself. The cute and adorable image was momentarily replaced in Sebastian's mind by an image of one the 'pets' they kept in his world, when he had seen it doing something similar. It was almost identical to the alien in the sci-fi movie _Aliens_. '..._ They leave much to be desired.'_ Sebastian thought, shaking his head to rid himself of the grotesque image as he stared at the adorable cat. The two couldn't even be compared. Sebastian picked up the cat and pet it, playing with its soft paw, gently squeezing it. As he squeezed its paw, the cat's claws clicked out. "Aah... your paw is so soft..." Sebastian said blissfully, blushing slightly, as he continued to squeeze it's paw and cuddle with the cat. I want to hold you like this forever... but I must go now." Sebastian said regretfully as he restrained himself and gently set the cat back down on the ground.

"Meow?" The cat mewed, wondering why the pampering had to stop. Sebastian didn't know it, but that was the second time the cat had been played with, and then suddenly left alone again. Chêne had come by to play, just before Sebastian came, but since she wasn't ready to make up with him yet, she had run off when he appeared, before he could notice her.

"I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow." Sebastian said, smiling handsomely as he bid the cat farewell and re-entered the manor house to resume his work, feeling refreshed after their little rendezvous. Once the door had closed, Chêne came out from her hiding place behind one of the larger jasmine bushes. The fragrant flower had masked her scent just enough that Sebastian didn't notice her presence since he was too distracted playing with Jasper II. Chêne narrowed her eyes at the door Sebastian had just left through and frowned.

"Hmph! Did you see that, Jasper? I felt a little sorry for him when I saw how much trouble the others were giving him, but he doesn't seem to be feeling even the slightest bit of remorse over the way he treated me!" Chêne said indignantly she scooped the cat up into her arms and scratched it behind the ears. Jasper II purred in kitty bliss from the ear massage she was getting. "I'll probably regret it later, but I think I should teach him a lesson..." Chêne said, smirking like a Cheshire cat.


	21. That Butler, Busy4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Busy 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Hmph! Did you see that, Jasper? I felt a little sorry for him when I saw how much trouble the others were giving him, but he doesn't seem to be feeling even the slightest bit of remorse over the way he treated me!" Chêne said indignantly she scooped the cat up into her arms and scratched it behind the ears. Jasper II purred in kitty bliss from the ear massage she was getting. "I'll probably regret it later, but I think I should teach him a lesson..." Chêne said, smirking like a Cheshire cat._

* * *

><p>'This paperwork is so tedious...' Ciel thought boredly as he read through the documents for the latest toy designs for his toy company. So far, all the new ideas were unbelievably lame, and to add to his torture—Ciel's sweet tooth was bothering him.<p>

"You look bored, Ciel." Chêne said, grinning impishly at him as she entered his Study. Ciel knew that look. It was the look Chêne always got when she was feeling particularly mischievous. "Wanna help me with something? I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." Chêne said playfully. Ciel smirked.

"Hmm... What did you have in mind?" Ciel asked, leaning forward in his power chair, placing his hands together, like a proper criminal mastermind. All he need was the fluffy white cat.

=†=†=†=†=

{A little while later, in the main hall...}

"Dear me." Sebastian said as he wiped his brow. "After countless interruptions, this is all I could manage, hm?" Sebastian heard the sound of a herd of stampeding idiots heading his way, and the doors slammed open as the three stooges burst into the room.

"Mister Sebastiaaaaan!" Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finni yelled. Bard had an afro again, and Mei-Rin had somehow managed to end up with a bucket over her head. Finni looked all right, but whatever he had touched last was probably broken in half now.

"Yes? Now what?" Sebastian asked, annoyed, as he turned away from what he was doing to look at them. The other three servants froze, stunned and amazed, when they saw what Sebastian had been working on. The entire room had been filled with tables that were piled high with elegant and colorful desserts. In the center of the room, Sebastian was currently working on a magnificent chocolate sculpture. He had already sculpted Big Ben, the London Bridge, and a headless horseman. Sebastian was now in the process of adding chocolate roses to the arrangement, with thorny vines curling in and out to fill the negative space and balance the visual weight of the sculpture. It was a chocoholic's dream. Chêne would've probably squealed with delight and gushed about how 'awesome' it was, with her eyes sparkling in admiration and hunger for her favorite dessert. In fact, Sebastian had made an extra rose to give her once she was over their argument.

"Wooow! It's chocolate!" Finni cried in delight and awe.

"Are these all sweets_!_?" Mei-Rin asked, amazed. How had he managed to fill such a huge room with so many sweets so quickly? Sebastian stared at them and sighed. It just wasn't the same.

"So this is what you were up to while you made us do all the work?" Bard said tartly, his hair was suddenly back to normal.

"Made you do all the work?" Sebastian said, not believing what he had just heard after everything they put him through. "We are inviting children here tomorrow... so this is for them." He explained. Sebastian would skin them alive if they touched it.

"All this, just for some brats? Whoa, crazy." Bard said, sweat dropping.

"That's Mister Sebastian for you!" Finni and Mei-Rin gushed in admiration.

"But... what sort of statue is this?" Finni asked as he stared up at the chocolate headless horseman.

"What do you mean?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "It is the 'Wild Earl' of whom you are so fo—_!_?" Sebastian froze mid-sentence, turning blue with shock. 'The head... is gone_!_!' Sebastian thought. He had been so focused on finishing the rest of it, that he hadn't even noticed the missing head. He couldn't believe how scatter brained he had been... their stupidity must be contagious. "The head of the Earl that I crafted so precisely is—!" Sebastian said, shaking with shock and fury. Sebastian whipped his head around to glare evilly at the other servants, who all flinched in fear at his murderous glare.

"Hey, hey! We were working up until now!" Bard said nervously, defending himself and the others before Sebastian tried to put them all six feet under.

"Y-Yes, quite right! We could not have stolen the Earl's head!" Mei-Rin stuttered, looking extremely nervous and pale. Finni nodded frantically in agreement. Chêne could not have done it since she went to town, and Ciel had been cooped up in his study with paper work.

"That means..." Sebastian said, realizing who was still left without an alibi.

'(Mister) _Tanakaaaaa!_' They all thought as an image of the old man, laughing while sipping tea, with chocolate on his moustache popped into their heads. Shot off, ready to chase Tanaka all the way to hell and back, followed by the other three servants.

"!" Sebastian said, gasping in realization as he came to a sudden stop. He didn't have time for this, at the moment. "I cannot deal with this now! It is time for the afternoon tea." Sebastian said, checking his pocket watch. "I will prepare it, so do your best to search out Mister Tanaka!" He ordered them as he snapped his watch shut and rushed off to serve Ciel his tea.

=†=†=†=†=

The serving cart rattled as Sebastian sped down the hallway to Ciel's Study.

'Leaving matters in the hands of those good-for-nothings causes me no end of worry. I must return as soon as possible.' Sebastian thought as he knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Pardon me, Sir." Sebastian said, opening the door. He was greeted by the sight of a screaming head... well, actually, it only looked like it was screaming. It was the missing chocolate head. It was sitting on Ciel's desk, and it had obviously been gnawed on. There were huge chunks missing from it here and there. Meanwhile, Ciel and Chêne seemed to have nodded off after their little snack, and they were both enjoying a little nap. Ciel was asleep in his chair. Chêne was sitting in a chair that she had pulled up next to Ciel's, and she was slumped onto Ciel's desk, her head resting on top of her folded arms. They both looked so peaceful. Sebastian stared at them with wide eyes before he hung his head in defeat and exhaustion. He had never felt more tired in his entire life than he did today.

"Really... Young Master... Chêne... So you were the culprits..." Sebastian said wearily. He was a little surprised that Chêne wasn't still at the town. He sighed and shut the window they had left open in order to enjoy the cool breeze that had been blowing earlier. "You even left the window wide open... despite _my presence_ here, leaving yourselves completely vulnerable will never do." Sebastian scolded the two sleeping humans. 'Useless servants... a mercurial master and time traveler... being a butler is far from easy.' Sebastian thought. He smiled slightly as he gazed down at them. 'But I feel living in this manner is not too bad... for...' Looking at Ciel and Chêne's sleeping faces, he couldn't help but notice that their cheeks we soft and pink, just like a cat's paw. "Heh!" Sebastian said, smirking with a gleam in his eye. "Young Master, Chêne! Wake up!" Sebastian commanded as he pinched their cheeks, hard. "How many times have I told you not to snack on the sly_!_?" He scolded them.

"_!_?" Ciel and Chêne yelled in surprise as they woke with a start and rubbed their sore faces.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile...}

The three stooges were still trying to find Tanaka.

"Did you find him_!_? Keep looking!" Bard shouted as they ran past a window. Ironically enough, Mister Tanaka was sitting on a bench, just outside that very window, innocently sipping his tea, blissfully ignorant of all the chaos that had transpired in the manor.

"Hoh, hoh, hoh!" Tanaka laughed softly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that evening, in Sebastian's kitchen}

Chêne stared longingly at the chocolate she was stirring. It was taking every last ounce of her self-control not to sneak a taste... not that she could get away with it. Sebastian was watching her like a hawk. As punishment for beheading Sebastian's Chocolate sculpture, he was making Chêne remake the head from scratch. Which meant that Chêne, a chocoholic, was being forced to make, smell, and look at chocolate, knowing that she couldn't even enjoy it once she was done. It was worse than Chinese water torture.

"Can't I have just a little—" Chêne asked, but Sebastian didn't even give her a chance to finish.

"_No."_ Sebastian said mercilessly. "Whatever possessed you to do such a thing in the first place? You usually discourage Ciel from snacking unhealthily in between meals." Sebastian asked, feeling slightly curious. Despite her faults and playfulness, Chêne was actually very responsible... most of the time.

"Well, I saw you in the courtyard, and you didn't seem to be the least bit sorry for how you treated me earlier, and it ticked me off that you were perfectly fine after making me cry! I was hungry when I saw that room you had stuffed full of heaven, and Ciel was bored. It was his idea to take the head, since he thought it would annoy you the most." Chêne said, pouting. Ciel had gotten off rather easily. He just wasn't getting dessert later tonight since he'd already had one. Sebastian raised an eyebrow.

"You... cried?" Sebastian asked. He felt a strange tightening sensation in his chest at the thought of having _unintentionally_ made Chêne cry. "Why were you in the courtyard to begin with? Didn't you go into to town to get that book?" Sebastian asked, distracting himself from the strange feeling he was having.

"Well, I didn't actually cry... but I came really close." Chêne admitted, blushing slightly as she avoided his gaze. "And I _didn't_ go to town because apparently, a certain someone doesn't trust me to come back again. Happy now?" Chêne said tartly. Sebastian blinked, surprised.

"... You didn't go? What if someone else buys the book?" Sebastian asked. Wasn't finding a way to reach her family important to her?

"No, and since that's the case, if I end up stuck here forever, you have to take responsibility, and support me for the rest of my life." Chêne joked, sticking her tongue out at him playfully.

'That sounds a lot like marriage...' Sebastian thought, amused. "Very well, then, if no one else will have you, I'll marry you." Sebastian said, smirking. He'd meant it as a joke, of course, and had expected Chêne to laugh or roll her eyes at him... However, Chêne's eyes widened and she stared at him like a deer caught in the headlights, blushing cherry red from head to toe. She was stuttering, trying to figure out what to say. She knew there was no way Sebastian had been serious, but his 'proposal' had still gotten to her. For a second, Sebastian was a little puzzled, but it almost immediately clicked, and he smirked devilishly at her as he leaned in closer, trapping Chêne against the kitchen counter.

"My, my. Are you blushing, _Chêne_?" Sebastian teased her seductively with his deep, velvety voice. "You couldn't possibly have feelings for me, could you? I apologize for being so slow..." Sebastian said softly as he gazed at her with the eyes of a hungry predator. The demon butler leaned in closer, as if to kiss her.

"_!_?" Chêne said, panicking. She shoved the bowl of chocolate she had been holding at him, and let go. Sebastian instinctively reached out to catch it before it could fall, giving Chêne a chance to escape. Chêne darted from the kitchen, blushing so hard that steam was coming off of her. Sebastian smirked as he watched her run.

Chêne was in trouble now.


	22. That Butler, Activated

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Activated<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>*Fwump! *<p>

Chêne dropped a large stack of mail on Ciel's desk. The postman had come just as Chêne had finished preventing Finni from decapitating all the roses, so she had collected it while she was out there.

"You've got another magnificent wad of mail today, too." Chêne said, hopping up and sitting on Ciel's desk as Sebastian untied the string that was holding the stack of letters together. They had both given up on correcting Chêne's 'unladylike' behavior when it was just the three of them, and, in return, Chêne did her best to 'behave herself' in front of guests, and in public. Sebastian noticed that most of the letters seemed to be from people who were known for holding numerous parties this time of the year.

"Young Master, yet more invitations for you have arrived today." Sebastian said, handing the letters to Ciel, and giving the young earl his trademark shit-eating grin. He knew how much receiving such invitations annoyed his young master.

"The Season is nearly over, damned idlers. Yet they're all in search of guests for their silly balls... Nothing good ever happens in London." Ciel grumbled, fed up with all the 'junk mail,' as Chêne had so adequately described it, that he had been receiving lately. He had no interest in wasting time with those fools. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel was only twelve, and he already sounded like a grumpy old man.

"Lighten up a little, Ciel. You should have fun while you still can. It wouldn't kill you to take a vacation, you know." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Earl Warwick, Baron Bath, Countess Gartland..." Ciel said, ignoring Chêne, as he flipped through the letters and read the names out loud so Sebastian could make a list of the declined invitations. Chêne sweat dropped. Sometimes, she wondered if she was invisible or something. Ciel paused when he saw the seal on one particular letter. It was the royal seal. "This is..." Ciel said, slightly surprised.

=†=†=†=†=

{The city of London}

'The England summer is so short... at least compared to the long, hot, and humid summers of Louisiana. May through August, when the weather is at its best, is known as 'The Season'...' Chêne thought, smiling, as she gazed out the carriage window as they passed through the streets of London. It was always exciting for Chêne to visit the city. The countryside was nice, but Chêne had been born and raised a city girl, and she occasionally missed the presence of other people around her, instead of just being isolated to socializing with everyone in the manor. Chêne liked being with all of them, but it got a little boring sometimes, repeating the same routine over and over and over again. Variety is the spice of life!

The carriage came to a halt as Sebastian pulled up in front of the Phantomhive townhouse. Sebastian lowered the collapsible steps on the side of the carriage, but Ciel and Chêne were so short, they still needed a little extra help getting down... Well, actually, Chêne had no problem with jumping down, but after her skirt accidentally flew up one time, and she ended up flashing her petticoats to them (oh, the shame!)... Ciel had forbidden her from jumping from the carriage ever again. Chêne didn't really see what the big deal was, since the underwear of the Victorian era was pretty much just white pants with lace on the edges, but apparently it was a _huge_ scandal for a young lady to let any man other than her husband see them. Naturally, Sebastian had found that little episode rather amusing since he got a free show, and Ciel's scandalized face was priceless. They had also been fortunate enough that no one else had been around at the time to witness Chêne's less than graceful descent.

"It has been a while since Young Master last came to the townhouse." Sebastian said, smirking as he opened the carriage door for them, and helped them down.

"Thanks." Chêne said as she took Sebastian's hand. "But I don't really need help getting down... that last incident was probably just a fluke." She told Ciel. Ciel frowned at her in disapproval.

"You really have no shame, do you?" Ciel said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"You try having a mother who practically made it her life's mission to embarrass you in creative new ways every other day. You'd become desensitized too." Chêne said, ruffling his hair as revenge for his sass. Ciel swatted her hand away and placed his top hat back on his head. Ciel huffed indignantly as Chêne giggled and ran ahead towards the house. Chêne really liked Ciel's townhouse. It was like a larger version of her grandmother's 19th century home in New Orleans' Garden District, and it always gave her a nice sense of nostalgia the few times they visited.

"I wouldn't be here if not for 'that letter'... There are so many people, you can't even walk properly." Ciel grumbled.

"Haha! You call this crowded? I visited my cousins in New York one time, and it was so crowded, that everyone was constantly bumping into each other. My uncle joked that you could tell who was a tourist by watching to see if they actually bothered to apologize or not, since the locals are so used to it, that they don't even bother." Chêne said, laughing. Ciel grimaced at the thought of so many people being packed together in one place. It sounded like huge a nuisance. "Besides, it's good to have a change of pace every now and then!" Chêne said, grinning, as she waited for Sebastian to unlock the front door.

"Yes, it may prove a nice respite for you to leave the manor sometimes." Sebastian agreed as they all entered the townhouse. "Those four are nowhere to be found here, so you may spend your days in peace." Sebastian said, also grinning at the pouting Ciel. 'Those four,' of course, referred to the other servants. The 'three stooges' and Mister Tanaka had been left back at the manor as the 'house sitting team.' Chêne felt a little sorry for them, being left out like that, but she had promised to bring them back a souvenir, and they immediately cheered up.

"Sebastian has a point, Ciel. Your number of 'headaches' has been significantly decreased for you." Chêne teased him as Sebastian opened the door to the sitting room. The three of them froze in the doorway when they saw what awaited them. Three uninvited visitors were ransacking the room. There was a woman in red pulling books off one of the bookshelves, a Chinese man peering into a vase, and a meek looking man who was wearing glasses and dressed in a butler's uniform. Chêne recognized the lady in red and the Chinaman. They were Madam Red, and Lau... and they were obviously the cause of the 'hurricane' that had swept through the sitting room.

"Good heavens, where _do_ they keep the tea in this house?" Madam Red said as she tossed another book onto the floor.

"I don't see it anywhere." Lau said as he continued to stare into the vase.

"You're not going to find it in there, ahahaha!" Madam Red told Lau, laughing, as Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne stared at them. Sebastian's smile was frozen in place, Chêne had face-palmed, and poor Ciel had turned slightly blue with shock at the damage that had already been inflicted on his property. So much for being able to spend their days in peace... how did they even manage to get in?

"Now, now! You never know!" Lau said playfully.

"Madam Red_!_? Lau_!_? What are you doing here..._!_?" Ciel shouted incredulously.

"Oh! You got here rather quickly." Madam Red said innocently as their three 'guests' all turned to look at them.


	23. That Butler, Activated2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Activated 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Madam Red! Lau! What are you doing here...!" Ciel shouted incredulously._

"_Oh! You got here rather quickly." Madam Red said innocently as their three 'guests' all turned to look at them._

* * *

><p>"I've come to see my lovely nephew, who told me he was making his way to London." The former Baroness Burnett, Angelina Durless (aka Madam Red) said, smiling coyly at them. Madam Red was none other than Ciel's aunt, on his mother's side, and she worked at the Royal London Hospital, so she didn't often have time to visit Ciel out in the countryside.<p>

"Why, hello, Lord Earl. I heard rumors that something of interest is afoot." Lau said, smirking slightly. Lau was the manager of the Chinese trading company 'Kong Rong.' Chêne couldn't help but feel he was a rather shady character, since, like Sebastian, he always seemed to be smiling, and he never seemed to open his eyes either. She always wondered how he didn't walk into anything... plus, Lau was running 'suspicious establishments' on the side.

"A most troublesome pair has showed up..." Ciel mumbled, already feeling a headache coming on. Chêne smiled wryly and patted him on the shoulder in a 'there, there' way.

"We apologize for not being able to great our honorable guests. I will have elevenses ready momentarily, so please wait a while." Sebastian said, giving the uninvited guests a positively radiant shit-eating grin.

=†=†=†=†=

"What a lovely aroma. Especially when prepared correctly." Madam red said, smiling blissfully as she inhaled the soothing aroma of the tea Sebastian was serving them, as Chêne brought out the snacks and set them on the table for Ciel and his guests.

"Today is Jackson's 'Earl Grey.'" Sebastian informed her, smiling politely, just as a proper butler should, as he held the teapot.

"Earl Grey can taste this different_!_?" Madam Red said, surprised. "Grell, you should follow his example." She admonished her butler.

'Grell, huh? So that's his name...' Chêne thought. She had met Madam Red and Lau before, but not Grell.

"Y-Yes..." Grell Sutcliff, butler of the Burnett family, said, downcast.

"In any case... You are a most handsome fellow, no matter how many times I look at you!" Madam red said as she ran her hand up and down Sebastian's backside, stroking his butt, and smirking deviously.

"_!_!" Sebastian said, flinching in surprise. He hadn't quite expected _that_... usually he was the one doing the harassing. Chêne would've been amused by how Sebastian's karma had finally caught up with him, if it weren't for her feelings for him.

"_!_?" Chêne said, managing to go blue with shock and horror, blush, and not drop the serving tray she was holding—all at the same time. Who said she couldn't multi-task?

"..." Ciel said, frozen mid-sip, stunned. Why was he surrounded by such strange people?

"Guhfufu... Why don't you come to my place instead of working at a manor house_!_?" Madam Red said, laughing. Sebastian smiled and sweat dropped. He shouldn't have let his guard down like that. The demon butler much preferred to be the one doing the harassing.

"Ahem! Madam Red..." Ceil said, vein mark throbbing on his head, as he recovered from his shock. His aunt was a grown woman... you'd think she could behave herself. Well, at least he had gotten to see Sebastian caught off guard for once. The demon's usually smug smile was slightly awkward after being assaulted.

"Oh, my! Pardon me! I started kneading him without realizing it." Madam Red said, smiling innocently as she rubbed the back of her neck, slightly bashful after being caught. "I wonder if it's just a doctor's habit?"

'As if anyone would really believe such a bogus excuse...! Who needs a doctor like _that!_?' Chêne thought, chagrined, as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. Sebastian noticed Chêne's little spell of jealousy, and smirked knowingly at her.

"Hmph!" Chêne huffed, turning her head away from him, refusing to let him see her blush. On second thought, he deserved to be the one on the receiving end of the harassment for once!

"You're looking as lovely as ever, Miss Chêne." Lau said, getting her attention. "Are you sure you still don't want to become one of my 'business partners'?" He asked suggestively. Chêne sweat dropped as she stared at him, her eyebrow twitching. This wasn't the first time he had 'propositioned' her. Chêne gave Lau a scathing look that said _'not a snowball's chance in hell,'_ unaware of the frighteningly calm 'smile' Sebastian was beaming at the Chinaman, from behind her. Lau flinched slightly. For some reason, he suddenly felt like his life was in danger.

"Haha... It seems I have failed to acquire the fair maiden's hand, once again." Lau said, smiling nervously.

"Let's get right down to it..." Ciel said, setting his teacup down as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes at all the so-called 'adults' in the room. "A few days ago, a prostitute was killed in Whitechapel."

"Ah, that incident the papers have been making a fuss over, yes? I know of it." Madam Red said, smirking slightly.

"But... there must be something more to it since _you're_ here." Lau said meaningfully as he glanced at Ciel.

"Yes, this is no simple murder." Ciel said calmly. "It is psychotic... better yet, abnormal. That is what concerns 'Her.'"

"What do you mean?" Madam Red asked.

"The victim, Mary Ann Nichols... was ripped to shreds with some sort of specialized cutting instrument." Sebastian explained as Ciel took a bite of his mini fruit tart.

'How did he know that...?' Chêne wondered. 'Maybe I should start actually reading the newspaper, instead of just getting the spark notes version of it from the others...' She thought, sweat dropping. 'Still, that name sounds vaguely familiar...'

"The city police and the local prostitutes have dubbed the killer... 'Jack the Ripper.'" Ciel said. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

'_That's_ why the name sounded familiar! She was a victim of one of the most famous serial killers of all time...!' Chêne thought. Ciel hadn't actually told her all the details of the queen's letter. The young earl had only mentioned that they would be investigating a case for the queen, and that she was being allowed to come with them, instead of having to stay behind with the other servants. So, Chêne hadn't realized just _who_ they were going after until just now. She couldn't believe it. They were chasing after _the_ Jack the Ripper_!_?

'Wait... they better not have brought me along as bait...!' Chêne thought worriedly. She wouldn't put it past Sebastian to endanger her life just for kicks.

"I too hurried to London to verify the situation." Ciel said, finishing his explanation, unaware of Chêne's inner turmoil.

"Heh... and I too am very curious... to see what the queen's watchdog will sniff out." Lau said with an air of mystery.


	24. That Butler, Activated3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Activated 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_Chêne hadn't realized just who they were going after until just now. She couldn't believe it. They were chasing after the Jack the Ripper!_

'_Wait... they better not have brought me along as bait...!' Chêne thought worriedly. She wouldn't put it past Sebastian to endanger her life just for kicks._

"_I too hurried to London to verify the situation." Ciel said, finishing his explanation, unaware of Chêne's inner turmoil._

"_Heh... and I too am very curious... to see what the queen's watchdog will sniff out." Lau said with an air of mystery._

* * *

><p>"... However... have you the courage to gaze upon the scene of the crime?" Lau challenged Ciel. Chêne swallowed the lump that formed in her throat when she thought about what grotesque scene must be awaiting them. She used to watch <em>CSI: Los Angeles<em> all time before coming to the Victorian era, but there was a huge difference between seeing gore when you knew it was fake, and seeing the real thing.

"... What are you getting at?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"The darkness and bestial odor that saturates the scene will eat away at those with the same karma." Lau said ominously as he approached Ciel, like a predator stalking towards its prey. "You may be trapped in madness would you set foot there. Are prepared... for that... Earl Phantomhive?" He asked as he caressed the side of Ciel's face with his hand. Sebastian watched the scene out the corner of his eye. He hadn't missed the disturbed recognition that had flashed briefly in Chêne's eyes when she heard the killer's nickname. This could prove to be interesting.

"I am here to eliminate the source of 'Her' distress. Do not waste my time with your worthless questions." Ciel said coldly as he gave Lau a steely glare.

"—Yes, lovely. Very lovely indeed, those eyes of yours." Lau said darkly, smirking as he took Ciel's hand. "Well, since that's now been decided, let's be off, Lord Earl~_!_!" Lau said cheerfully, suddenly doing a complete emotional 180°, and started pulling Ciel out the room. Chêne sweat dropped. Sometimes she wondered if Lau was bipolar.

"Now wait_!_!" Madam Red shouted indignantly, vein mark throbbing on her forehead, before Ciel even had a chance to protest being manhandled by Lau. "Really! Men have no patience! Right, Chêne?" Chêne smiled wryly and sweat dropped again. Why was Madam Red dragging her into this?

"Why don't you finish your tea and elevenses first, then we can all go together..." Chêne suggested. They all stared at her. As if they could enjoy eating with the prospect of seeing a bloody corpse in the near future...! Ciel sweat dropped, but Sebastian found it interesting that Chêne could still think about eating, despite how pale she had just been when Lau mentioned how graphic the crime scene was. She bounced back much quicker than most 'ladies' seemed capable of.

"So, where is this crime scene, Lau?" Madam Red asked, sweat dropping.

"Did you not know... Madam?" Lau asked, smiling knowingly at her, as Ciel sweat dropped. Lau was _still_ holding his hand. "Well, I never! Then I suppose we'll have to ask someone around here." Lau said, sighing in disappointment.

"You were babbling on when you didn't even know yourself_!_?" Madam Red shouted incredulously, vein mark throbbing on her forehead.

'What was that long prologue for, then...?' Ciel and Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

"Quiet down." Ciel said, sighing in annoyance over Madam Red's ranting. "No one said we were going to the crime scene."

"Eh?" Madame red and Lau said, surprised.

"Why not?" Chêne asked, confused. "Isn't that the best place to look for clues?"

"We wouldn't be able to do much anyway because the place is already full of spectators, and the Yard won't take kindly to me going there either." Ciel explained.

"Oh, right... it's summer too, so they probably had to move the body clean up the crime scene already, before it started to rot, anyway..." Chêne said thoughtfully. They didn't have the technology to be able to analyze DNA yet either, so they didn't have a lot to go on. Madam Red paled slightly and Ciel sweat dropped. Chêne had just said that in the same tone of voice as someone would say 'I wonder if I should get the chocolate ice cream or the vanilla...' Sebastian looked like he was trying not to smirk too much.

"Then, what do you plan to do you plan to do?" Madam Red asked Ciel, sweat dropping. She didn't remember Chêne being such a blunt girl before. How could a lady say such morbid things with a straight face?

"My Lord... _don't tell me._.." Lau said dramatically.

"Yes, _that's right._" Ciel said, grimacing. "I'd like to avoid it myself, but that isn't an option. _He_ is the most reliable source of information regarding crimes like this." He said, not bothering to hide how much he was dreading what was to come.

=†=†=†=†=

"—So..." Lau said, smiling brightly as they stood in front of a slightly dilapidated looking shop. There were a few cobwebs here and there on the store's front, and there were a few examples of different coffin styles and headstones lined up by the door. The shop's sign had a skull on it that read _'Undertaker.'_ "... Where are we?" Lau asked, still smiling innocently at them.

"Weren't you just acting like you knew all about it_!_?" Madam Red shouted incredulously as Grell nervously tried to calm her down.

"Please calm down, Madam Red. What matters is that we're here, right?" Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"The young master's acquaintance is an undertaker." Sebastian explained.

"An undertaker?" Madam Red asked, sounding a little skeptical.

"Are you in... Undertaker?" Ciel asked they all entered the suspicious looking shop. The interior of the shop was dimly lit; their only source of light was some candles that had been placed haphazardly around the room. There were more coffins and cobwebs inside... as well as a few miscellaneous jars of strange liquids. Some of the jars even had organs floating in them. The place smelled musty and stale—like death.

"_... Hee! Hee..."_ I have been expecting you..." They heard a creepy, gravely voice cackle from some unseen part of the shop. Madam Red, Lau, and Grell were looking pretty nervous and creeped out now. Ciel sweat dropped he really didn't want to be here right now either, but in his case, Ciel was more annoyed than afraid. Sebastian noticed that Chêne was staring at the jar that had a heart in it, grimacing slightly.

"_I bid ye wellllcome, Lord..."_ The undertaker said as a hand with long, black fingernails reached gripped the lid of one of the coffins that had been leaning upright, against the wall, from the inside, and it slowly creaked open, revealing a silver-haired man clothed in a black robe and hat. The undertaker's face was scared, and his hair hid his eyes, but the light reflecting off of them from beneath his shaggy fringe had an eerie effect that made it look like they were glowing in the dark. Madame red and Lau flinched, startled, as they turned blue with shock. Grell was so freaked out, that he actually fell to the floor when his legs gave out. "Has your Lordship finally decided to step into the coffin that I've made specially for you_!_?" The Undertaker asked excitedly. "I still have the one you 'tried out' the last time you were here, Miss Chêne... I think the rich oak wood suited you quite nicely! I've finished it, if you wish to have another look at it..." He added, turning to Chêne.

"Haha... is that so?" Chêne asked, laughing and smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"I think not. Today, I am..." Ciel said, but the undertaker pressed a finger to the young earl's lips, silencing him.

"You don't need to put it into words. I understand veeery well... what Milord wishes to say." Undertaker said, grinning. "She wasn't a 'client' in the 'ordinary folk' sense of the word. See, I cleaned her up riiiight nice and pretty."

"... I want to hear about that." Ciel said.

"Then let's have a chat. I'll make some tea or something. Won't you just take a seat somewhere over there?" Undertaker said nonchalantly as he motioned to an area of the shop that had coffins littering the floor. There weren't any chairs in sight.

'_Over where...?'_ They all wondered, paling slightly. The only place to sit was top of a coffin.

"..." Chêne said. She leaned down and tapped on the side of one of the coffins, testing its acoustics.

'She's not expecting someone to answer, is she...?' Ciel and Madam Red thought, sweat dropping. After a moment of silence, Chêne casually plopped down onto the coffin, like she was sitting on a picnic bench in a sunny park.

"... What?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping, when she realized that the other humans were staring at her, aghast. Sebastian looked like he was holding back a laugh. Well, at least _somebody_ was enjoying this.

"Your eccentricities seem to be increasing by the day." Ciel said bluntly.

"Hey! This one sounded extra hollow, okay? So it's probably still 'unoccupied.' Do you want to sit on this one with me, Ciel?" Chêne asked, patting the empty space beside her.

"How can you even tell the difference? Aren't all coffins made to be 'hollow'?" Lau asked curiously.

"It would seem Chêne has been desensitized to coffins, since one of her childhood friends was the daughter of an undertaker (of sorts)." Sebastian said. Chêne had mentioned to him before that her best friend, a girl by the name of 'Lacey,' grew up in a funeral home, since it was part of her family's house, and Lacey's parents ran the business.

"Yep, we used to play 'hide and seek' in the coffins, and the quickest way to check if someone was in one, was to knock on the side and see what it sounded like. The coffin vibrates more if it's empty, since it's lighter, and not weighed down by anything." Chêne said, smiling. Madam Red paled slightly.

"Her parent's actually let you play in _coffins!_?" Madam Red asked, shocked.

"Well, they didn't mind... at first... as long, as we didn't get the inside of them dirty, they didn't really care, but then... One time, Lacey fell asleep in one, and Gary, their part-time worker at the time, grabbed the wrong coffin. Since it was a closed casket funeral, no one realized the mistake—until they started lowering the coffin into the grave, and Lacey suddenly threw the lid open, all energetic and refreshed from her nap. You can imagine how disturbed the poor mourners were, to not only see someone 'come back from the dead,' but they also had no idea what had happened to 'Grandpa Owen' until the whole mess was sorted out." Chêne explained. They all stared at her.

"Your friend must've been frightened..." Madam Red said sympathetically. Chêne looked slightly surprised at this, and shook her head.

"Oh, no! On the contrary, Lacey liked the coffin so much, that she convinced her parents to let her keep it as her bed, in exchange for us _never_ setting foot in the other coffins again. It made sleep-overs at her house _really_ interesting." Chêne said, smiling reassuringly. _That didn't reassure them at all._

'Are all people insane in the future...?' Ciel wondered, sweat dropping. Ciel sighed and sat down next to Chêne on the 'unoccupied' coffin, deciding he'd rather not risk sitting on one that was... _occupied_. Sebastian smirked. Humans could be so entertaining.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Since I left you guys hanging for a while, I decided to make a new pic of Chêne, since the old one is from when she was sixteen, and she's supposed to be older now. I realized that I made a mistake on my timeline, and it's only supposed to be about two years since Ciel made his contract with Sebastian, so I'll have to go back and fix that... (^_^;) But anyway, I've put a link of the eighteen-year-old Chêne on my profile, since every time I try to put a link down here, it never shows up right. I have one of Chêne in her outfit for when they sneak into the Viscount's party, and another of her in a golden dress, just because it's October! Yay for Halloween! \(^o^) I have an explanation for why the two versions look so different, but I don't want to give too much away! (;D)


	25. That Butler, Activated4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Activated 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>"—Now then." Undertaker said, once he had served everyone their tea, and they were all seated. Chêne stared at her 'teacup,' wondering if she could trust something that had been served to her in a glass beaker that had probably already been used to mix the different preservatives, like formaldehyde, that were used to preserve dead bodies. Those chemicals would've killed any germs, but the thought was gruesome... Chêne decided she wasn't all that thirsty, as did Ciel. Madame Red, Grell, and Lau looked a little green around the gills as they too stared at their beakers of tea.<p>

"You want to hear about the Jack the Ripper, yesss?" Undertaker said as he opened an urn containing bone shaped cookies... at least, Chêne hoped they were cookies. She had given him the recipe for Lacey's favorite 'skeleton sugar cookies', but Chêne had usually used a skull shaped cookie cutter for it. "The Yard's starting to get their knickers in a bunch about it now, but... this isn't the first time I've had a client like that." Undertaker told them.

"_!_!" Ciel and the others said.

'So, these murders have been going on for longer than they let the public believe...' Chêne thought nervously. Now they were getting into the gory details.

"Not the first time? What do you mean?" Madam Red asked.

"Have you seen other corpses with similar wounds?" Chêne asked. She had a feeling she knew that answer to that already, but she didn't want to let on just how much she knew about the Jack the Ripper of her world, since it would make her look incredibly suspicious to anyone who didn't know her... _circumstances._

"Yes, very good, little Miss Maid." Undertaker said as he munched on a bone cookie. Undertaker held out the urn/cookie jar to Chêne. "A reward for you~!" He said, grinning a little creepily. She smiled wryly, and decided to try a cookie, out of curiosity. The cookies were probably safe, since they looked the same as when she used to make them... the only thing that was different was the shape.

"Heheh... thanks." Chêne said, laughing wryly as she took a cookie and started to nibble on it. Ciel sweat dropped as he watched her eat it. So she wouldn't touch the tea, but she had no problem eating cookies that had been kept in an urn...?

"In the past, there've been a number of cases... involving murdered whores." Undertaker explained. Undertaker noticed how Ciel was staring at Chêne. "Fancy a biscuit, Milord?" He asked Ciel, grinning.

"I'll pass." Ciel said, sweat dropping. Chêne hadn't gagged or dropped dead yet, but better safe than sorry.

"But their intensity and cruelty continues to escalate." Undertaker said, continuing his explanation, and shrugging as he closed the cookie urn. "The yard failed to take notice because the murders weren't terribly bloody at the outset... but all the prostitutes killed in Whitechapel had a little something in common."

"_Something in common?"_ Ciel asked.

"...You say?" Sebastian finished. Chêne was on the edge of her seat, munching on the cookie, like an entranced moviegoer, who was absentmindedly stuffing their face with popcorn.

"Well, what could it be? What ever could it be? Wouldn't you like to know?" Undertaker taunted Ciel as he leered at the young earl.

"Ugh..." Ciel said, frowning slightly as he and Chêne sweat dropped. Of course he wasn't going to make things easy for them.

"I see. That's how it is. Being an undertaker is only his façade for normal society." Lau said. "How much do you want for the information?" Undertaker perked up at that.

"_How much?_" Undertaker said, suddenly lunging towards Lau. "I do not desire a single one of the queen's coins!" Lau and Madam Red flinched in surprise. Undertaker whipped his head around. His eyes gleamed as he locked onto his new target, Ciel. Undertaker loomed over Ciel, who flinched, sweating nervously. "Now, Milord... _Give it to_ _me..._" Undertaker said, drooling slightly as he held Ciel's face with his hands.

"Urrrgh..." Ciel said, plaing slightly. The undertaker's creep factor was going into 'maximum overdrive.'

"Bestow upon me the choicest '_laughter_..._!_! Then, I shall tell you anything..._!_!" Undertaker said, panting slightly as he hugged himself, blushing and drooling in anticipation. "Aaah! Haah! Haah! Ohhh, yesss!" Undertaker moaned as he leaned on a coffin.

"Hey, is he alright... in the head...?" Chêne whispered to Ciel, sweat dropping.

"What a creep." Ciel said, beyond grossed out.

"..." Sebastian said, unable to refute that statement.

"Heh... Lord Earl, please allow me to handle this." Lau said, stepping forward. "People have called me the sleeping tiger of New Year's parties in Shanghai... and now, I shall demonstrate that in full_!_!" He declared dramatically as he took a death breath, preparing himself for his show of comical genius. "A fool on the futon." Lau said, smiling.

"..." They all said, staring at him. The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.

"... Oh?" Lau said, puzzled when no one laughed at his clever pun.

'Why the heck is a Chinese man telling a Japanese joke in English...?' Chêne wondered, sweat dropping. She had a felling the nickname _'sleeping_ tiger' wasn't really meant as a compliment to Lau, after all.

"You'll never do, Lau... Very well." Madam Red said, stepping forward as the next challenger. "Madam Red, star of social circles... shall share with you her best tale_!_!" She declared grandly, striking a pose.

"Madaaam! Ahhh!" Grell said, swooning slightly at her radiance.

"So then... his—beep—was—beep—_!_! And his—beep—was—beep—too!" Madam Red said, laughing as she launched into telling a lewd story.

"?" Ciel said, wondering what was going on. Sebastian had quickly placed his hands over Ciel's ears when Madam Red stated her intentions, suspecting it would be something of this nature. Ciel glanced at Chêne. Judging by her reaction, he was better off not knowing. Chêne, a girl who didn't even bat and eyelash at having to sit on a coffin, was standing there, frozen, as though she had been turned to stone. Her mouth was twitching. Chêne wasn't sure how to react, but she thought Ciel should consider himself lucky that Sebastian had saved him. She felt like her ears were being raped. Sebastian, however, looked just as calm as always. _Damn demon_. Undertaker didn't look too amused, either. It was a little late, but Chêne decided to cover her ears, before she could be even more mentally and emotionally scarred, as Madam Red continued her tale, oblivious to her audience's feelings on the matter.

=†=†=†=†=

{An hour later...}

*Bzzzt! Bzzzt!*

A buzzer, like the one you hear on cheesy game shows when contestants get an answer wrong, went off for both Madam Red and Lau, and their mouths had been covered buy masks with big red x-marks on them as a sign of their failure.

"That leaves only you, Milord." Undertaker said, grinning. "The last time I was a bit generous if I do say so myself..." Chêne and Ciel sweat dropped as they remembered what had happened the last time they came...

_=Flashback=_

"_Chêne, while the young master and I are out gathering information for the investigation, I want you to go to the market and buy the items on this list. I will need them in order to prepare dinner tonight." Sebastian told Chêne as he handed her the shopping list and money to purchase the items._

"_Alright, but I usually just go to the market on the edge of town, since it's closest to the manor... Do you have a map I could use, so I don't get lost now that we're in the heart of the city?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly. She didn't really want to walk around London all by herself. She knew a few moves for self-defense, but if someone tried to mug her with a gun, she wouldn't be able to do much, and Ciel and Sebastian were taking the carriage since Ciel didn't feel like walking._

"_I'm certain you will be just fine." Sebastian said, giving her a brilliant shit-eating grin._

"_Ugh..." Chêne said, her eyebrow twitching in irritation. That was obviously a big fat 'NO.' She suspected Sebastian might be a sadist or something, the way he seemed to enjoy making things difficult for her..._

_=†=†=†=†=_

"_You purposely sent Chêne away on a fool's errand, didn't you? I'm surprised she gave in so easily, since she usually kicks up a fuss whenever we do something 'fun' without her." Ciel said as he rode in the carriage with Sebastian. They were on their way to see the undertaker about information for his case._

"_Yes. I did not think it would be productive to bring her along with us, given the nature of our destination. Female humans never seem to handle things like corpses very well." Sebastian said, smirking. Ciel glanced at the demon butler, slightly surprised._

"_... You... have you developed feelings for Chêne...?" Ciel asked suspiciously. "You did something considerate for her, without being ordered too." Sebastian gave him a sparkling shit-eating grin._

"_I was merely carrying out my duty as your butler by removing anything that might inhibit your work." Sebastian said calmly. "I do not have 'feelings' in the same sense that humans do."_

"_..." Ciel said, eyeing the demon critically. That made a little more sense, but it was still slightly suspicious. He knew Sebastian viewed Chêne as a toy for his amusement, but Ciel was fine with that, as long as Sebastian didn't actually inflict serious harm on her. "Hmph, so you say." Ciel huffed as the carriage pulled up in front of the undertaker's shop. Chêne was a strange girl, but she was still a girl, nonetheless. He didn't think she'd be too comfortable in the Undertaker's shop either. Ciel wasn't exactly thrilled to be going himself._

"_Are you in, Undertaker?" Ciel asked as he and Sebastian entered the shop._

"_Hee... Hee... Greetings, Milord..." Undertaker cackled as he looked up from the 'client' he had been examining. _

_=†=†=†=†=_

"_That's strange..." Chêne thought out loud as she wandered through the streets of London. "I could've sworn this was the way I took to get here, but none of this looks familiar..." Chêne had somehow managed to find the main marketplace without getting too lost, and had already finished the shopping, so she had tried to return to the townhouse, but now she had no clue where she was, and the grocery bags were getting heavy._

"_!" Chêne said, surprised when a cold raindrop landed on her cheek, and the rain suddenly came pouring down, drenching her. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Chêne shouted in exasperation. 'I have to get out of the rain, before these paper bags tear and all the groceries spill out onto the ground!' Chêne thought anxiously as she scanned the area for a place she could wait in until the rain stopped. As luck would have it, she seemed to be in a mostly residential area, and the only actual shop on the street was a shady looking business that had a skull on the sign, but Chêne couldn't read the name on the sign through the heavy rain. "Ugh! I don't care anymore!" Chêne yelled in annoyance as she ran for the shop._

_=†=†=†=†=_

"_So, what is the price for the information we wish to know?" Sebastian asked the undertaker when he wouldn't tell them the information they needed._

"_If you want me to tell you..." The undertaker said, grinning creepily. " You'll have to..."_

_*BAM!*_

_The shop's door suddenly slammed open, and in ran Chêne, ladened down with grocery bags, like a pack mule._

"_Excuse me—eeeeeeeeh!_?_" Chêne shrieked in surprise as she slid across the floor. Apparently, Chêne's shoes were to wet to have enough friction to let her break all of her momentum from sprinting towards the shop, and she was headed straight towards an unfinished coffin that the under taker had propped up against the wall. For some reason, the oak coffin was missing its back. "Kyaaaaaaaaah!_?_" Chêne cried as she slammed face first into the coffin, unable to shield herself, since she was still holding the grocery bags in her arms._

_*WHAM!*_

_Chêne bounced off of the coffin and fell backwards, landing on the ground. She didn't even have time to flinch before the coffin had fallen over her._

"_..." The three men said, stunned, as they stared at where Chêne was lying on the floor, trapped beneath the coffin. Ciel was just about to order Sebastian to lift it off of her, so they could see if she was all right, when the lid flew open, and Chêne sat up—popping up like a jack-in-the box._

"_Phew! That was close!" Chêne said, wiping her forehead with the back of her had. "—!_?_" Chêne gasped, startled._

"_What's wrong?" Ciel asked, trying not to sound too concerned. Chêne looked at him, horrified._

"_I-I think I broke something..." Chêne said nervously as she felt around for something inside the coffin. "Oh...!" Chêne cried in dismay when she held up a huge brightly colored lollipop. It had been snapped in half when she fell. "I'm sorry, Ciel... one of the kids recommended this to me, so I bought it for you with the money I had left over, but now it's ruined..." Chêne said, visibly wilting in disappointment. Ciel sweat dropped. That's what she was so upset about...? He thought she might've been seriously injured. He noticed that he undertaker was shaking. Was he angry that he had been interrupted? And how was Ciel going to get anyone to take him seriously when his maid was a walking Murphy's Law...?_

"_My, I sent you shopping so you wouldn't interfere with our investigation, but it would seem you have somehow still managed to do so in a most spectacular way. Your natural talent for causing trouble seems to be in top form today." Sebastian said, smiling a positively radiant shit-eating grin at her._

'_Oh crap! He's definitely pissed!' Chêne thought, scooting away from the demon butler as he loomed over her._

"_S-Sebastian... I know it might be convenient for you, since I'm already in a coffin, but..." Chêne said nervously. "—Please don't burry me over spilled groceries!_!_" She shouted, ducking back down into the coffin as she slammed the lid shut, hiding from Sebastian's eerily calm smile._

"_Buh—!" Undertaker said, unable to hold back any longer. "—BUHAHAHA~!_!_" He laughed maniacally, bursting out into laughter. Undertaker laughed so hard, the shop was shaking. Chêne peeped out of the coffin, wondering if they were having an earthquake. Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne stared at the undertaker, confused. _

"_...Hey, did we break him?" Chêne asked them, concerned. _

"_Ahahaha! Haaah~! I have glimpsed utopia~!" Undertaker said dreamily, drooling as he slumped onto a coffin, and tried to catch his breath. "You, my girl, are a comical genius!"_

"_Umm... Thanks?" Chêne said, sweat dropping and smiling wryly, not sure if that was really a compliment or not, since she hadn't done it on purpose._

"_Very well, Earl... since this charming young lady is with you, I shall count this in your favor, this time..." Undertaker said, grinning._

_=End Flashback=_

"... But no specials this time." Undertaker said, grinning at them.

"Guh..." Ciel said, grimacing. He glanced at Chêne, hoping he wouldn't have to humiliate himself. Chêne shook her head.

"Sorry, Ciel, but I can't do stuff like that on purpose... It only happens by accident." Chêne said, rubbing the back of her neck. "... Besides, why do _I_ have to be the one to sacrifice my dignity again?"

"Oh, you still have some?" Sebastian asked her, smirking. Chêne scowled at him.

"I pride myself on being 'rechargeable'!" Chêne huffed indignantly... whatever the hell that meant...

"Damn..." Ciel said, full of dread. If Chêne wasn't going to help him, then... Sebastian stepped forward. "Sebastian_!_?" Ciel said, surprised.

"It appears there is nothing for it." Sebastian said, adjusting his gloves. Chêne raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't expected Sebastian to just volunteer like that.

"Ohhh...? Master Butler's giving it a go, now is he?" Undertaker said, grinning.

"Everyone, please step outside if would." Sebastian said calmly.

"S-Senastian." Ciel said, sweat dropping. Just what was he planning to do.

"Wait, why do we have to leave?" Chêne asked curiously.

"You must not, under any condition, peek inside..." Sebastian said seriously, glaring at them calmly to let them know he wasn't playing around.

*Shut.*

The others all sweat dropped when they were herded out of the shop, and Sebastian shut the door. It was completely silent as they all stared at the shop.

"... When he says not to peek, it just makes me want to look even more!" Chêne said, sweat dropping as she tried to control her curiosity. Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

"I won't be held responsible for whatever he does to you, if you do." Ciel warned her. Suddenly a huge roar of laughter erupted from within the shop, shaking it so hard, that the sign fell down. They all flinched in surprise.

"_Ahahahaha! No... Stop... Heeeeeeeee!"_ Undertaker yelled hysterically in between laughs. What the heck was going on in there..._!_?

*Ka-chack.*

The door clicked as Sebastian opened it again to let them back inside.

"Please come in. He has agreed to speak to us." Sebastian said, giving them all a blindingly bright shit-eating grin. The undertaker was slumped onto a coffin, twitching, as he struggled to breath after laughing so hard.

"I saw paradise..." Undertaker moaned blissfully.

"What did you do?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping.

"Nothing much." Sebastian said carelessly.

"Yeah, and I'm the Tooth Fairy." Chêne deadpanned sarcastically. Sebastian leaned down and smirked as he whispered in Chêne's ear.

"I could tell you, but then I might have to kill you." Sebastian told her, smiling.

"Ah... on second thought, I'm not _that_ curious..." Chêne said nervously, avoiding his gaze.

"Well... to get back to the matter at hand... Gufu...! I'll tell you anything you wish to know..." Undertaker said once he had calmed down enough to speak rationally again. "For a while now... I've occasionally had... clients who are... how shall I say... _lacking_, you see? Guh-fu!"

"_... Lacking?"_ Sebastian asked.

"Yes, quite lacking." Undertaker said, grabbing an anatomy dummy. "Their innards... that is."

"_!_!" Everyone said, shocked. Sebastian furrowed his brow and frowned slightly. He glanced at Chêne, and noticed that she looked a little pale, but she didn't actually look surprised, like the others. She remembered hearing something similar about the Jack the Ripper victims in her world. It hadn't always been consistent in what organs were removed, but they had all had at least one organ taken from them.

"Before my clients can rest easy on their beds, I must get them nice and clean, yes? Like putting back whatever might have spilled out." Undertaker said as he rubbed the dummy's face with his hand. "And examining (read: playing with) them as I do my duty is a little hobby of mine, you see?" Madam Red, Lau, and Grell all stared at the beakers of tea they had been drinking, a chill running up their spines at the thought of what might've previously been in them. Chêne was really glad that she and Ciel hadn't drunk any of their tea now. Lau cleared his throat, deciding it was probably best not to dwell too deeply on that last thought.

"So, they were all lacking a kidney or somesuch? In that case, the killer is a loan shark or the like..." Lau said thoughtfully.

"Chinese cellar rats think up the most disturbing things! That's not what I meant." Undertaker said. "Ohh, how frightening, frightening!" Undertaker cooed as he petted the dummy soothingly. A vein mark throbbed on Lau's head. "_It_ is something only a prostitute... a _girl_ would possess. This little one doesn't have it either." Undertaker said, referring to the dummy. It was a model for a human male's anatomy. Undertaker glanced at Chêne, grinning. "I bet Miss Maid can guess... which organ was missing...?" Chêne gulped and clenched her fists nervously, gripping the skirt of her uniform.

"I-It's the uterus... I think." Chêne said, looking extremely pale. She was feeling sick just thinking about it. What an awful way to butcher a woman's body...

"!" Ciel said, frowning slightly. No wonder Chêne looked so disturbed. Undertaker smirked, confirming that what Chêne had said was indeed correct.

"Lately, I've been seeing a rise in such 'clientele' all of a sudden... and their crimson rouge is becoming gaudier by the day. It's all keeping me very busy." Undertaker said.

"Even with few passersby, committing murder on the street... moreover in the dead of night... would it not be difficult for an amateur to cut out the womb with the necessary precision?" Sebastian said.

"... If I were being attacked... I would fight tooth and nail, and I'd scream my lungs out." Chêne said, forcing herself to get a grip. Being scared wasn't going to help get this creep off the streets. "Since no one seems to be coming forward as witnesses of such a thing, it could be that they were killed somewhere else first, and the killer removed their womb before killing them... They're prostitutes, after all, so the killer could have pretended to be a client, and taken them somewhere more secluded... though, I don't know what the crime scenes looked like, so I can't be sure..."

"Quite the bright candles, aren't we, Master Butler, Miss Maid? I have considered that myself." Undertaker said, walking over to Ciel. "Well, let's see... First, I'd take something sharp... and slash the throat..." He made a slicing motion in front of Ciel's neck. "... Then, I'd cut riiiight here... and steal away the precious." Undertaker said as he gestured to Ciel's lower abdomen, where a woman's womb would be, and mimed more cutting motions.

Chêne absentmindedly placed her hand over her own womb. She really didn't feel comfortable discussing this. She had no problem with violent horror movie gore, but... this was the real thing, and these poor women really were being murdered and mutilated.

"The 'skill' involved... and ... 'the lack of hesitation' points to a professional." Undertaker continued to explain. "And most likely, someone of the 'underworld,' at that. And that is why I knew you would come here, Milord." He said, leaning over Ciel's shoulder, and poking him in the cheek. Ciel sweat dropped. He was officially out of his comfort zone. "If there were a possibility that the killer belonged to the 'underworld'... I expected you would be summoned here without fail. Heed my words... another will die. And so will the murders continue... until someone stops them." Undertaker said ominously. "Can you stop the killer... 'Aristocrat of Evil,' Earl of Phantomhive?" Ciel stood up to leave, and Chêne followed suit as Sebastian helped Ciel into his coat.

"The underworld has its own rules. Its residents do not kill those on the other side without reason... and they do not invade polite society using the powers of the underworld. _By our family coat of arms... I vow to eliminate, without exception, all who defile the gardens of the queen... by any means necessary."_ Ciel said coldly.

"Excuse our intrusion... Undertaker."


	26. That Butler, Activated5

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Activated 5<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_The underworld has its own rules. Its residents do not kill those on the other side without reason... and they do not invade polite society using the powers of the underworld. By our family coat of arms... I vow to eliminate, without exception, all who defile the gardens of the queen... by any means necessary." Ciel said coldly. "Excuse our intrusion... Undertaker."_

* * *

><p>"Based on our earlier conversation, we can now simplify our list of suspects." Ciel said as they all rode away from the undertaker's in his carriage. Except for Grell, he was driving.<p>

"Yes, quite... first, we have... 'someone well-versed in medical science and anatomy.' Among them, 'someone with no alibi on the nights of the murders,' and as the perpetrator has absconded with the uterus of each victim, 'someone involved with a secret society or cult of black magic' is also a possibility." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"Hm... but they might not necessarily be killing them specifically to harvest their uteruses for future use... The victims were prostitutes. They're ideal victims, since the public looks down on them. And, unfortunately, most people probably wouldn't give a dead hooker a second glance, but because of what these women were, it's possible that it's simply a hate crime. A womb is a symbol of womanhood, so maybe the killer is saying that they aren't fit to be women...?" Chêne said.

"Oh? You looked pretty squeamish earlier, but you're actually quite capable of saying the most horrific things rather calmly." Lau said. Chêne's eyebrow twitched.

"I don't want to hear that from you, of all people..." Chêne muttered. "Being squeamish won't help catch the killer, will it? We can't do anything for the women who've already become victims, but the sooner we catch this creep, the more people we can save." She pointed out.

"Wait... you call this 'simplified'? Just how many people do you think gather in London during the Season_!_?" Madam Red said. "Not only must you consider the doctors of London, but also the family physicians that aristocrats have brought here from the countryside. Further more, medical school graduates who never became doctors, like Chêne. Not to mention Orientals like Lau who are skilled in the use of needles and are familiar with human anatomy..."

"Ah, hold on, Madam Red. I never went to medical school." Chêne said, holding up her hand in a 'stop' motion.

"Eh? Then how do you know such much about medicine and anatomy? You are much more knowledgeable than the average citizen, so I had always just assumed you were a medical student before you became Ciel's maid." Madam Red said, surprised.

"No, I'm actually an artist... but my mother was a nurse, and she taught me a few things since I was always getting hurt. However, despite my school being an ordinary one, I'll admit that it made sure we were all well versed in biology, and we even dissected a pig because of how their anatomy, particularly their hearts, resembles ours... but we only examined the heart and lungs. Even if I know a lot about anatomy in theory, that was the only time I ever actually did any form of 'cutting' on another being. I know how to stitch cuts up, but I can't make them with that kind of precision." Chêne explained, smiling wryly and sweat dropping.

"I see..." Madam Red said, impressed that Chêne could be such an able nurse to Ciel when she had no real training. "At any rate, the Season will be over in less than a week, and the family physicians will return to the countryside—"

"_Then we need only investigate before the season ends."_ Sebastian said, smirking.

"Come again...?" Lau said.

"We need only pay a call to each individual and verify his alibi prior to the season coming to a close." Sebastian said matter-of-factly.

"Verify their alibis_!_? Even though we don't know their exact numbers yet_!_?" Madam Red said incredulously. It was simply inconceivable.

"Please leave it to me." Sebastian said, smirking. Ciel glanced at the demon butler. "I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. It goes without saying that I can manage something as trivial as this." He said confidently. Chêne sweat dropped. Just what part about interviewing hundreds of people was 'trivial'...? Still, Chêne had to suppress her blush. Why did he have to look so damned handsome all the time_!_? Madam Red and Lau looked stunned. Ciel had a smug look on his face. "I shall make a list of suspects and call on each of them immediately." Sebastian told Ciel, bowing slightly.

"Nn." Ciel agreed carelessly.

"Eh, Wai—!" Madam Red yelled as Sebastian threw open the carriage door. Madam Red an Lau flinched in shock.

"Wah!" Grell cried, turning slightly blue with shock when Sebastian stuck his head out of the still moving carriage.

"Mister Grell, was it not? Please drive safely back to the townhouse." Sebastian said, smiling calmly, as though he weren't hanging halfway out of a speeding carriage.

'Show off...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

"Eh_!_? Ah! Yes_!_?" Grell said through his shock.

"Now, if you will excuse me..." Sebastian said, grinning at them as Ciel made a 'shoo, shoo!' motion at the demon butler.

"Come along now, Chêne." Sebastian said, smirking as he grabbed her.

"Eh...?" Chêne said, eyes widening in surprise when Sebastian suddenly tucked her under his arm, like a rag doll, and leapt from the carriage, closing the door behind them. Madam Red and Lau stared at the door, stunned.

"Hang on_!_? But the carriage is still moving_!_?" Madam Red yelled, panicking as she and Lau rushed to look out the window, but Sebastian and Chêne were nowhere to be seen.

"H-He's gone..." Lau said, stunned and impressed. Grell blushed as he stared back over his shoulder where he had last seen the dashing butler.

"Hey, you! Watch where you're going_!_! We're going to crash!" Madam Red yelled at the distracted Grell.

"Ah! Y-Yesss_!_! Beg your pardon..." Grell said nervously as he immediately snapped out of his daze.

"Haah... I can't believe he just grabbed poor Chêne like that..." Madame Red said, sighing and sweat dropping. "Sebastian made some rather lofty claims, but—"

"My butler said he would take care of it, and Chêne is also rather good at reading people. They will not return empty handed. All we need to do is sip our tea and bide our time." Ciel said calmly.

"You have great faith in them, hmm...?" Madam Red said, teasing Ciel.

"..." Ciel said as he gazed out the window. "No, that isn't it, really. It's just that _he_ doesn't tell lies. Ever." Ciel said. "And despite being like _that,_ Chêne can be quite capable... when needed."

"—Yes. He, Chêne, and the Earl have spent much time together, so their foundation is a solid one. The devoted maid has always showered the Earl with unconditional affection, and the butler has always been by the Earl's side... _like his shadow_." Lau said mysteriously.

"..." Ciel said. "Sebastian and Chêne have only been in my service for two years, you know?" Ciel said bluntly.

"That's short." Madam Red said, shocked at how much Ciel trusted them in such a short amount of time. Normally, people wouldn't trust any servants that deeply until they had been with them for a much longer period of time.

"Ah. Is that so?" Lau said, smiling sillily and shrugging it off.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at Ciel's townhouse}

"Haaa~ah! We've finally made it! My back hurts~!" Lau said, relieved to finally be out of the carriage. It had been a bumpy ride.

"We had to take the long way 'round because Grell got lost!" Madam Red fumed in annoyance. Poor Grell was apologizing profusely as they walked up to the front door.

"Come, come, Madam Red. Let us have a spot of afternoon tea and take a... break..." Lau said, trailing off when he saw a familiar, yet unexpected face waiting to welcome them.

"Welcome home. We have been waiting for you." Sebastian greeted them, bowing. Chêne wasn't there, but she must be in the house somewhere, since Sebastian said 'we.'

Madam Red and Lau froze, stunned, but Ciel continued on as if Sebastian and Chêne hadn't just defied the laws of physics by beating them back.

"Your afternoon tea is ready. I had Chêne prepare a cornmeal cake of pears and black berries to accompany it today. She is adding the finishing touches to it as we speak." Sebastian informed them as he took Ciel's hat and coat for him.

"Nn." Ciel said in approval, eager to eat his sweets. This must be the reason why Sebastian had taken Chêne with him. He probably had Chêne prepare the cake while he was out. While her cooking wasn't really on par with Sebastian's (other than her gumbo), Chêne was an excellent baker. While Sebastian's sweets were sinfully delicious, the recipes that had been handed down in Chêne's family were positively divine. So, Ciel could always look forward to a real treat, no matter who made him sweets.

"Wait... why are you here_!_?" Madam Red yelled incredulously. Wasn't he supposed to be interviewing suspects?

"Hm? I returned in advance because I had finished my assignment." Sebastian said, smiling.

'On foot_!_?' Madam Red thought, shocked.

"Oh, so you are back! I thought I heard voices. Welcome home!" Chêne greeted everyone as she came out, wiping her hands on her apron. She had obviously rushed out to greet them, because Chêne still had a little flour smeared on her cheek from when she'd a stray hair behind her ear when it fell in her face while she was baking.

"My, my, you always manage to make a mess of yourself, don't you?" Sebastian said, sighing as he pulled out his handkerchief. Chêne should know better than to appear before guests in such a manner. Chêne blushed furiously as Sebastian gently held her face, and leaned close to her as he wiped the flour off of her cheek.

"I-I can do it myself...! I'm not a little kid." Chêne said, embarrassed. Sebastian was definitely enjoying watching her squirm.

"Your 'assignment'—So you already have a list_!_?" Madam Red asked Sebastian, realizing the full weight of what he had just told them before Chêne came, absolutely stunned. How did he manage to sort through so many people that quickly_!_?

"Not quite, you see. I merely compiled a list based on the characteristics we discussed earlier and paid each individual on that list _a visit. That was all."_ Sebastian said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

'Yes, I only just discovered the cure for cancer, that's all.'' Chêne thought sarcastically, mocking Sebastian's blasé attitude towards the inhuman feat he had just accomplished. And what was up with that weird way he emphasized 'a visit'...?

"However, it did take some time because I investigated the aristocracy's family physicians as well." Sebastian said humbly. Needless to say, the others were stunned.

"Really Sebastian... That's impossible, even for you—" Madam Red said, challenging him, but she was cut off as Sebastian smirked and pulled out a scroll, unfurling it dramatically.

"Earl Chambers' family doctor, William Somerset was attending a party sponsored by Earl Harwood when Mary Ann Nichols was killed. He has an alibi, and is not involved in secret societies." Sebastian said, quickly reading through the incredibly long list of suspects. "Hmph." Ciel said, grinning smugly. Lau smiled and nodded his head as he listened. Grell blushed in admiration, and Madam Red was so stunned, that she had turned slightly blue with shock, and her had had slipped out of place. The look on her face was priceless. As he read, Chêne noticed that Sebastian was ruling out anyone who didn't have connections to secret societies, even though she had pointed out earlier, that the killer might _not_ be involved in one.

"Um, Sebastian... what about what I said earlier about possible suspects that aren't in a cult?" Chêne asked. Sebastian glanced at her as he rolled to list back up, and gave her a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Rejected." Sebastian said brightly, letting her know that he had decided to totally ignore her theory. He felt that it made the range of possible suspects far too broad, and the goal had been to narrow it down. Chêne pouted sullenly at him, feeling insulted and left out. "Based on these results... I have narrowed down the list of suspects to but one individual. Let us discuss the details over tea." Sebastian told the others, looking rather smug.

"How in the world did you manage such a thing, Sebastian? Are you really just a butler? Are you sure you aren't O.H.M.S.S. or something as well?" Madam Red asked skeptically. She really didn't give up easily, did she?

"... No. I am... merely... one hell of a butler." Sebastian said, smiling.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

O.H.M.S.S. is short for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."


	27. That Butler, Capricious

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Capricious<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>"'Someone well-versed in medical science and anatomy.' Someone with no alibi on the nights of the murders,' and 'someone involved with a secret society or cult of black magic.' Only one individual fulfills all of these conditions." Sebastian told them as they all sat in the townhouse's sitting room, and enjoyed their afternoon tea and cake. "The Viscount of Druitt, one Sir Aleistor Chambers. He graduated medical school, but did not work at a hospital or practice medicine. He has held several parties at his residency during the Season... but... there are rumors that he also hosts secret parties on the side in which only he and his intimate acquaintances may participate."<p>

"Well, he definitely fits the profile..." Chêne said. She was still a little peeved that her input had been ignored.

"The Viscount Druitt, hm... Now that I think about it, I have heard rumors that he's into black magic or something similar. The rose something or the golden something..." Madam Red said, trying to remember the secret society's name.

"So, some kind of ritual is being conducted at those 'secret parties'... and the prostitutes may have been used as offerings." Lau said.

"Yes." Ciel said, taking another bite of his dessert.

"Tonight, there will be yet another party at the viscount's residence beginning at 19:00. As the Season will be coming to an end... it is safe to say that this evening will be our final opportunity to steal in." Sebastian said.

"So, in other words, we need to crash the party somehow without arousing his suspicion?" Chêne said. This sounded like it was going to be interesting.

"Madam red. _That_ is where we stand. Can you do something about it?" Ciel asked.

"Really. Who do you take me for? I'm quite popular with men, I'll have you know. Obtaining an invitation or two will be child's play." Madam Red said confidently as she flipped her hair with her hand.

"Then it's decided. We'll do whatever it takes to get into that 'secret party.' But make certain not to use the Phantomhive name. We may fail to catch them otherwise." Ciel said seriously. "This is our only chance!"

=†=†=†=†=

"_I... Think not!_!" Ciel said bluntly, disturbed by what he had just heard. There was no way in hell he was doing _that_.

"Oh, come on, Ciel. Like it or not, Madam has a point. Disguising yourself is the best solution in this situation." Chêne said, smiling brightly.

"So why do I have to _cross-dress!_?" Ciel yelled incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"Really! Losing your nerve after coming this far is anything but manly!" Madam scolded him as she held up a frilly light-blue dress. Grell was admiring a red dress that was still hanging in the closet.

"_How can you say that whilst holding that thing?"_ Ciel demanded, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"Come, come. We have already decided upon our course of action, so there can be no turning back now. It is sometimes necessary to resign oneself to one's fate, my Lord." Lau told him, smiling. "Incidentally, I am of the opinion that a china doll dress will be nice and fresh. What do you say?" Lau said, holding up a sexy china dress. "This is one of our creations."

"Lau... you bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, oozing murderous intent.

"Riiight, let's stop right there." Chêne said, sweat dropping. As funny as it would be, she felt too sorry for Ciel to let them make him wear something like _that_. The slit in the side of the dress went all the way up to the hip.

"Oh, I agree! Most certainly not!" Madam Red said. "It goes without saying that an English lady of the upper classes must wear a dress of the highest quality and heaviest silk to a ball!"

"Such rules exist, do they?" Lau said, looking a little disappointed and surprised. "I seee..."

"Ugh... that sounds like a pain." Chêne said, wrinkling her nose slightly. As if all the layers of petticoats she had to wear for her maid's uniform weren't bad enough... now she had to wear something even heavier? Ciel did not look thrilled.

"Well, obviously. Where do you think we are?" Madam Red huffed indignantly. "This is Great Britain, the land of and conventions and rules—!"

"But I was born I raised in the city of New Orleans... land of the 'big easy.' It's in my blood to honor traditions, but at the same time, unreasonable and stuffy rules are made to be broken... We just let the good times roll. We can sleep when we're dead." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"... You were raised in a pretty 'unique' city..." Madam Red said, sweat dropping. It sounded fun, but that was no way for a young lady to be brought up.

"My, with such a wild environment, it's amazing you're still so 'innocent'~!" Lau said. It was obvious from her reaction when she heard Madam Red's story at the undertakers, that Chêne was still a virgin, and rather shy about discussing such things.

"Just what kind of girl did you take me for...?" Chêne asked, chagrined.

"Well, you are in England now, and you know what they say... when in Rome, do as the Romans do." Madam Red said, continuing her lesson on how to be a proper English lady. "Now, blue, silver... and pale green predominate dress colors here... and one must only wear pink at balls. _Ciel is young, so pink will be good. Might as well. Perhaps we might shorten the length a bit?"_ Madam Red said, smiling radiantly as she pictured Ciel in a lolita style mini-dress. "You're young, so you can get away with it! Oh-hoh hoh hoh~!"

"Ah yes, pink will be lovely. Ha ha ha!" Lau said, smiling.

"So, a china dress is a no-go, but a mini skirt is okay..._!_?" Chêne asked incredulously. She didn't even wear mini skirts without leggings or something underneath it when she was in the 21st century!

"_Enough!_! Don't imagine it_!_!" Ciel yelled angrily, blushing furiously, with several vein marks throbbing on his forehead.

"There is still more for which to prepare." Sebastian said, stepping forward. "All balls begin with a 'quadrille.' Next, a 'waltz.'" Sebastian said, a glint in his eye, already in tutor mode. He was now wearing glasses with his butler uniform, and he was holding a riding crop. Chêne sweat dropped. What the heck was he planning to do with a riding crop...? "In all, about eighteen to twenty-four pieces are usually played. Seven of those will be the quadrille, with three of them being lancers. Then seven waltzes, four gallops, and a polka are typical. The rest depends on the host..." Sebastian told them.

"Well! That sounds about right!" Madam red said, smiling. She was the queen of evening parties, after all.

"To put it plainly! You cannot get through the evening with the farce of a waltz you feigned before." Sebastian told Ciel bluntly. "More over, a lady's steps on the floor are the reverse of what you are accustomed to!"

"That's true, Ginger Rogers had to do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in heels..." Chêne murmured, thoughtfully. Luckily, no one but Ciel and Sebastian heard her, or she'd have some explaining to do.

"Ugh..." Ciel said, grimacing and paling slightly as he sweated nervously and shrunk away from them.

"The waltz was once called immoral... because the man and woman must dance so closely with each other." Sebastian said. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly. She wondered what they'd say if they could see dancing in her world. "... But thanks to the queen, it now resides within the main dance repertoire. Seducing the viscount will be nigh on impossible if you dance like you did last time. If I were he, I would politely decline to accompany you." Sebastian told Ciel, a serious gleam in his eye.

"_Sedu—!_?" Ciel yelled, incredulously, flinching in shock.

"How else did you plan to get close to him?" Chêne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Then, _you_ do it!" Ciel said, chagrined.

"But the queen asked _you_ to investigate for her. Don't worry, Ciel! I'll teach you how to flirt~!" Chêne said, winking playfully at him as she patted him on the shoulder. A vein mark popped on Ciel's forehead.

"_Chêne..."_ Ciel growled dangerously. If this went on, he might go an a killing spree of his own...

"Heh." Sebastian said, smirking darkly. So, Chêne had attempted to seduce men before...? For some reason, the notion irked him. "From talking and walking to dancing, gesturing, and seduction—Why Madam and I, your tutor, will be drilling them all into you over the course of just one day... _my ladies...?"_ Sebastian said as he and Madame Red grinned deviously at Ciel and Chêne.

"... Eh?" Chêne said, taking a step back as Sebastian and Madam Red loomed over them. Sure, she didn't want to be left out when the snuck in, but why was she being included in Ciel's little torture session_!_? Ciel was sweating nervously, blue with shock.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Lau chuckled, smiling innocently.

"N—! N—! _Noooooooooo!"_ Ciel yelled as Madam Red and Sebastian stalked toward them, and he and Chêne huddled together, trapped in a corner.

"Do not raise your voices!" Sebastian scolded them.

"You have no waist!" Madam Red scolded Ciel.

*Whap!*

"You're seriously using that_!_?" Chêne shouted incredulously as Sebastian snapped the riding crop at them.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

This was originally an extra in the back of the second manga volume, but I wanted to add it into my story because I thought it was hilarious! (XD) I just thought I'd add that little note in case there was someone who was unaware of that, and mistakenly thought I came up with the whole thing...


	28. That Butler, Capricious2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Capricious 2<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>For the purpose of this chapter, Chêne's fake British accent will be underlined whenever she speaks with it.<span>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_N—! N—! Noooooooooo!" Ciel yelled as Madam Red and Sebastian stalked toward them, and he and Chêne huddled together, trapped in a corner._

"_Do not raise your voices!" Sebastian scolded them._

"_You have no waist!" Madam Red scolded Ciel._

_*Whap!*_

"_You're seriously using that!" Chêne shouted incredulously as Sebastian cracked the riding crop at them._

* * *

><p>{Later that evening, at the viscount's party...}<p>

The ballroom was full of elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen, who were enjoying each other's company and chatting politely amongst themselves... blissfully unaware of just how dangerous their host could be.

"This is rather grand, isn't it? I wonder if indeed tonight marks the end of the Season?" Madam Red said, sounding a little regretful. She did so enjoy a good party. Madam Red, true to her name, was wearing a brilliant red ball gown, a matching red hat, and a black beaded chocker that had a large, red jewel on it. She was also wearing a black feather boa and had a black lace fan as to complete the look.

"It would appear that this evening will be most delightful." Lau agreed. He was wearing a black tux instead of his usual Chinese garb.

"We're done if we arouse their suspicions. Listen up." Ciel said, crossing his arms. "We did not come here to amuse ourselves. Do _not_ let your guard down!" he warned them seriously. Unfortunately for Ciel, the effect was totally ruined by his disguise... Ciel was a pigtailed wig that matched his natural hair color, a pink frilly dress with rose accents, a matching hat, and black gloves. He was _adorable_.

"I understaaaand~! Ohhh, my! You're just the cutest little thing, aren't you_!_?" Madam Red gushed as she glomped Ciel, much to his chagrin. "The pigtails were an excellent choice, Chêne!" She said, a gleam in her eye.

"They really suit him, don't they?" Chêne said, smiling proudly. Chêne was wearing a wig that matched Ciel's hair color, but she had a more mature hairstyle. She had curled her wig's hair and pulled it back. Loose tendrils of curly hair framed her face. Her dress, like Ciel's was rather frilly, but hers was made for a more mature young lady, and it was a pale blue. In order to hide her freckles, Chêne had decided to borrow some makeup from Madam Red, and thanks to the lipstick, she actually looked her age for once, despite her baby face.

"I must say, you clean up rather nicely, yourself! You should wear makeup more often." Madam Red told her, smiling.

"Thank you, but I just prefer to go natural most of the time. I used to have bad acne breakouts when I was Ciel's age, so I just got used to not wearing any." Chêne said, smiling. "Although... between this dress, the hair, and the red lips, I feel like I'm wearing a Snow White costume..." She said, smiling wryly. "The only thing I'm missing is seven vertically challenged men..."

"Haha, I'd like to see that~!" Lau said, amused.

"Let me go_!_! Why must I wear something like this—_!_?" Ciel yelled indignantly as he finally broke free from his aunt's vice-like grip.

"Eh? What's this? You don't like your muslin drenched French dress?" Madam Red asked, pouting. "It's the latest style and everything, you know? Just look at Chêne, she likes her dress."

"It's fun because the skirt is 'swishy'." Chêne said, smiling.

"_How could I like this!_?" Ciel yelled incredulously. He was a _boy_ for crying out loud! They could've at least let him wear blue. Why did Chêne get a decent color while he was stuck with this pink monstrosity..._!_?

"Now, now. A lady never raises her voice." Sebastian scolded Ciel as he joined them. Sebastian was wearing glasses again, and he had traded his butler uniform for a nice suit that was the typical fashion worn by an upper class man.

"Sebastian... you bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"He's riiiight, you hear? You have to follow the script..." Madam Red huffed. "Lau is my young lover." She said, launching into an explanation of the parts they would be playing.

"Lover reporting for duty!" Lau said, smiling.

"Ciel and Chêne are playing my nieces, who have come to London from the countryside." Madam Red continued. Ciel scowled at her, and Chêne smiled wryly. As funny as it was, she did feel a little sorry for Ciel. "And Sebastian is Ciel's tutor, and Chêne's fiancé." Chêne froze mid-smile. Eh...? What did she just say? Chêne glanced cautiously at Sebastian, wondering if he had anything to do with this. Sebastian smiled 'innocently' at her. Yep, he definitely had something to do with this arrangement. Chêne blushed as she furrowed her brow, pouted, and crossed her arms, avoiding his gaze. Ever since he had found out her feelings for him, Sebastian had been steadily increasing his harassment towards her, and purposefully creating misleading situations like this to mess with her. Chêne clenched her fist in frustration. If he kept playing with her feelings like this, Chêne just might be tempted to see how smug Sebastian was when sprinkled with holy water... though something gave her a feeling that it wouldn't do squat, being Sebastian and all.

"Oh, and Grell is my butler, per usual." Madam Red added carelessly.

"Madaaaam!" Grell cried, going blue with shock and disappointment. He had hoped to play an exciting role too.

"So...! Why must I be your 'niece'_!_?" Ciel demanded angrily, blushing out of embarrassment. They never did give him a real reason for it.

"Well, you see, I've always wanted a daughter. A charming girl who looks wonderful in frilly dresses! Kya-ha~!" Madam Red said frankly, smiling happily. Ciel was positively adorable! And Chêne, who was normally very cute and charming in her maid uniform, looked elegant and beautiful in her gown tonight, and she held herself with real grace and dignity. Chene was playing her part as a member of the upper class rather well. All she needed to do was adopt a British accent when she spoke to the other guests, instead of speaking in her natural American accent. She'd been living in England for two years now, but she still hadn't lost her charming southern accent, yet.

"_That_ is your reason..._!_?" Ciel growled, furious. He looked so mad, Chêne wouldn't be surprised if he started breathing fire and fried Madam Red to a crisp.

"These will trouble me... until I get used to them." Sebastian said as he readjusted his glasses. They kept slipping out of place. He didn't seem at all concerned about Ciel's predicament.

"Give them here. My sister used to have the same problem with her glasses all the time, I'll adjust them for you." Chêne offered, holding her hand out to Sebastian for him to give her his glasses.

"Just don't break this pair." Sebastian told her, smirking. Ciel had tripped during his dance lesson, and somehow managed to knock Sebastian's glasses of his face. The lenses cracked when they hit the ground, so Sebastian had to switch to his back-up pair... why he even had them to begin with, Chêne had no clue. Madam Red leaned closer to Ciel as she answered his question.

"... It would be if I were only joking, but... were you to be exposed as a Phantomhive, it would be disastrous for us all, right?" Madam Red whispered.

"Um... please..." Grell begged weakly, still trying to get Madam Red to give him a better role.

"In any case!" Madam Red said, ignoring Grell, causing the dejected butler to enter his own little corner of woe. "If people were to see a one-eyed boy with a well-dressed butler, they would immediately know it was you on the spot! And Chêne is often with you too, so people would recognize her as well. Chêne actually has a small group of fans. So then, it follows that _this _is the best disguise."

"Fans...?" Chêne asked sweat dropping. Fans for what?

"Oh, you mean you didn't know? You're quite popular among the boys for being Ciel's 'adorable detective-girl sidekick'~!" Madam Red told her cheerfully. Chêne sweat dropped. The way she phrased that made it sound like her admirers were either younger boys who thought she was their age, or pedophiles... maybe both. Sebastian snickered, showing that his thoughts were along the same lines as hers. Chêne glared reproachfully at him. "And the Viscount of Druitt is said to love women of all ages, so it's better if you're dressed that way! 'Kay_!_?" Madam Red said, grinning.

"Wha..._!_?" Ciel shouted incredulously.

"Hahaha! Wouldn't it be a crime for him to lay a hand on the young earl?" Lau said, smiling.

"... So, in addition to being a serial killer, he's a pedophile too? Charming." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Seriously, why hasn't this guy been arrested yet?"

"Were you not the one who said... 'Do whatever it takes'?" Sebastian taunted Ciel, smirking slightly.

"Grrr!" Ciel said, gritting his teeth in frustration. How dare Sebastian use his own words against him like that_!_? Sebastian grinned.

"Then, shall we go... _my ladies_?" Sebastian asked Ciel and Chêne suavely, offering them his hand.

'Damn it...' Chêne thought, blushing. He even looked good in glasses. It just wasn't fair.

=†=†=†=†=

"Now then... we must first locate the Viscount of Druitt." Sebastian said as they all wandered through the party.

"I wonder if the Viscount of Druitt is a handsome fellow? If that is the case, I would be more than willing to do my paaart!" Madam Red said a little too enthusiastically, with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"Your eyes are glittering, Madam." Lau said, smiling.

"I bet he's the frivolous player type that you wouldn't normally take seriously, and he wears a ridiculous white suit... or he could be a total creep that looks like a hunchback." Chêne joked.

"I'm uncomfortable. It's heavy. This dress. They hurt. My feet. _I want to go home."_ Ciel groaned. He was _so_ over this.

"It hasn't even been ten minutes since we arrived." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Well, maybe now you'll have a little appreciation for what women have to go through to look beautiful for the men they love. Lizzie wears stuff like this everyday." Ciel grimaced.

"I do not want Elizabeth (my fiancée) to ever see me like this..." Ciel said, paling at the thought of what Lizzie's reaction might be. She'd probably think it was cute, and might even try to make him wear more dresses...

"No, I suppose not." Sebastian said, smiling.

"She'd never leave you alone after that..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "She'd probably say something like, 'Ciel—"

"—Kyah! Your dress is so cuuute~!" Lizzie's voice gushed.

"Wow, that sounded just like her, Chêne... It's like she's here in the room." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"Uh... that wasn't me..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"That hat of yours is looovely~!" They heard Lizzie say cheerfully.

"Oh my, do you think so~?" The woman asked, flattered. Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne all froze and whipped their heads around, making sure they weren't having some kind of group hallucination. Poor Ciel was blue with shock and dread.

"There are just sooo many ladies in the loveliest dresses, I can't stand it~! They're all sooo cute!" Lizzie gushed happily, exuding a sparkling 'lovely' aura. _Good God—_It _was_ her!

"Isn't it _way _past her bedtime_!_?" Chêne whisper-yelled. _"Does her mother know!_?"

"Se—! Se-Se-Se-Se-Sebastian." Ciel stuttered, panicking.

"Young Mas—! My Lady, please calm down. Let us go over there for a moment." Sebastian whispered as he tried to steer Ciel and Chêne to safety.

"Ah~!" Lizzie said suddenly, causing them to flinch. "Those two girls over there are wearing awwwfully cute dresses~!" She said excitedly, pointing at Ciel and Chêne.

"_!_!" Ciel yelped.

"She's found us already..._!_!" Chêne whisper yelled, shocked. Why was it that Lizzie only seemed to be this sharp whenever they _didn't_ want her to be..._!_?

"This will never do, my Ladies. This way!" Sebastian said guiding them away from the approaching Lizzie.

"Oh? Where did they go?" Lizzie wondered out loud, confused, as she glanced around the room, trying to find them. Luckily, she didn't notice that they had ducked behind a table that was displaying a huge cake on it. It was tiered, with different layers stacked on top, like a wedding cake.

"Why is Elizabeth here_!_? I must get ahold of Madam and the rest—!" Ciel whisper-yelled anxiously.

"Yeah... good luck with that, Ciel." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she nodded her head in the Madam's direction, subtly telling Ciel and Sebastian what direction to look in. Madam Red was lounging in a chair as Lau laughed and fanned her, and Grell stood by her side, fidgeting nervously. She appeared to be surrounded by admirers, who were offering her refreshments and flattery.

'She's utterly engrossed in the party_!_!' Ciel thought, chagrined.

"Wow... Ciel, your aunt is a real man-eater... It's like a reverse harem over there." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"This is not good. I did not think your fiancée would be here." Sebastian said.

"Even though I am disguised... If she were to catch a glimpse of my face..." Ciel said nervously.

"... She'd recognize you right away. You're so loved, Ciel." Chêne said. Ciel blushed and shot her a look that said 'STFU!'

"If she finds out, it would spell the end of our investigation_!_!" Ciel said. He was starting to panic now. All the suffering he went through to get here would be for nothing.

"Moreover... everyone here would discover that my Lady is 'the Young Master.'" Sebastian added calmly.

"..." Ciel said, frozen, as all the color drained from his face. "If it became known that the head of the Phantomhive family had the gall to dress like this, we will be shamed for all eternity_!_! Uwaaaaah_!_!" Ciel cried, blushing furiously, as he shuddered and clenched the tablecloth in his hands. He was losing it. "I'd dare not show my face before her majesty ever again!"

"You are overreacting." Sebastian deadpanned.

"It's not like you're dressing up because it's your hobby. Can't you just explain that you were undercover if people found out?" Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"I would rather die than have that happen!" Ciel yelled, blushing out of embarrassment. "So she must never—"

"The Viscount of Druitt is as handsome as always! His platinum blond hair is like spun gold!" They heard one of the women standing near them tell her friend excitedly as the two women stared at a handsome blond man.

"... So he is the Viscount of Druitt..._!_!" Ciel said, spotting the man in question.

"I can't believe he's really wearing a white suit..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"He is quite young... We'll use a greeting as our front to get close to him. I will observe from here because the presence of another man may make him wary. Please behave like ladies, as I have taught you." Sebastian whispered to them.

"... Yes, yes! All right!" Ciel said, already fed up with the whole situation.

"Yes, mother." Chêne deadpanned.

"Remember to curtsy and _smile_, Ciel." Chêne whispered to him as they approached the viscount.

"G-Good evening..." Ciel nervously greeted the viscount, forcing a smile as he and Chêne curtsied. The viscount must not have heard Ciel, because he was still carrying on his previous conversation, instead of returning their greeting.

"Viscount Dru—" Chêne said a little louder.

"Ahhhhh_!_! Found yooou~!" Lizzie shouted cheerfully when she spotted them.

"_!_!" Ciel and Chêne said, flinching in surprise.

"Bloody hell!" Ciel yelled, ducking behind the viscount's back. The Viscount definitely heard Ciel that time, and he was slowly starting to turn around to see who it was.

"Come on!" Chêne said, pulling Ciel away before they could blow their cover.

"...?" The viscount said, confused when he didn't see anyone there.

=†=†=†=†=

"I was so close!" Ciel said.

"You over there, waaait!" Lizzie called after them.

"I'll distract her! She'll be less likely to recognize me." Chêne said, pushing Ciel away as she intercepted Lizzie.

"Oh, hello~!" Lizzie said, smiling happily when she realized she could finally talk to one of them.

"Good evening." Chêne greeted her in a posh British accent, smiling politely. Chêne was _so_ glad she was good at imitating accents now. The change was so dramatic, that it made her sound like a completely different person, but at the same time it still sounded natural.

"Good evening~! I just had to tell you how cuuute your dress is!" Lizzie gushed.

"Why, thank you. Your dress is quite lovely as well." Chêne replied gracefully. Lizzie smiled brightly and blushed, happy that her compliment had been returned.

"Thank you~! Say, do you know that other girl in that lovely pink dress?" Lizzie asked excitedly, referring to Ciel.

"Yes, she is my younger sister, but I am afraid that she is rather shy." Chêne said, smiling apologetically.

"Eh_!_?" That's too bad!" Lizzie said, pouting slightly.

'Who would've thought Chêne was such a good actress...' Ciel thought, sweat dropping. Ciel had managed to flee from Lizzie, but he had been so surprised by Chêne's sudden change in demeanor, that Ciel had forgotten that he should be hiding. Someone grabbed his arm. Ciel was surprised, and he whipped his head around to see who it was. It was Sebastian.

"This way... my Lady." Sebastian said calmly as he led Ciel to safety.

"You know, you seem familiar somehow... Have we met before?" Lizzie asked Chêne curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"I am not certain, but it is possible..." Chêne said, smiling politely. _'Holy guacamole, Batman!_?_ Someone get me out of here...!'_ Chêne thought, somehow managing not to let her inner turmoil show on her face. Sebastian noticed that Chêne seemed to be in a spot of trouble.

"You there. A lemonade for that blond young lady over yonder, if you please." Sebastian said to one of the waiters they passed.

"Yes, Sir!' The waiter said, smiling as he turned to offer Elizabeth a glass of refreshing lemonade. "Would you care for a lemonade?" He asked Elizabeth.

"Eh?" Lizzie said, surprised by the sudden interruption.

Chêne decided to take that as her cue to escape.


	29. That Butler, Capricious3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Capricious 3<strong>_

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><p><span>For the purpose of this chapter, Chêne's fake British accent <span>**and Ciel's 'girly voice'** will be underlined whenever they speak with them.

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect*

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_You know, you seem familiar somehow... Have we met before?" Lizzie asked Chêne curiously, tilting her head to the side._

"_I am not certain, but it is possible..."__ Chêne said, smiling politely. 'Holy guacamole, Batman! Someone get me out of here...!' Chêne thought, somehow managing not to let her inner turmoil show on her face. Sebastian noticed that Chêne seemed to be in a spot of trouble._

"_You there. A lemonade for that blond young lady over yonder, if you please." Sebastian said to one of the waiters they passed._

"_Yes, Sir!' The waiter said, smiling as he turned to offer Elizabeth a glass of refreshing lemonade. "Would you care for a lemonade?" He asked Elizabeth._

"_Eh?" Lizzie said, surprised by the sudden interruption. Chêne decided to take that as her cue to escape._

* * *

><p>"That was dangerously close." Sebastian said, once they were all on the balcony and out of sight.<p>

"Geez, Ciel. You're so slow, Lizzie had time to almost recognize me." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"It's because of these heels!" Ciel said indignantly. "Why do I always have to be the one suffe—" The sweet singing of violins could be heard as the musicians started playing the waltz.

"!" Chêne said, surprised. The room was suddenly filled with dancing couples, making it nearly impossible to move around them.

"Damn..._!_!" Ciel said, frustrated.

"The hall is swarming with dancers... you cannot approach the viscount now." Sebastian said. They were also trapped on the same side of the room as Lizzie now. She was sipping her lemonade and watching the dancers, finding the whole thing wonderful. She hadn't noticed them yet, thankfully.

"Normally when this happened at my high school's dances, I would just dance my way though, since most dancing styles don't require a partner where I'm from, but that would just look really strange here, and there's only three of us, so one of us will be stuck here..." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"... Very well." Sebastian said.

"Huh?" Chêne said.

"Let us employ the dance as a means of getting close to the viscount. You will be able to manage what you were taught, yes?" Sebastian said as he took Ciel's hand. Chêne and Ciel flinched in surprise.

"_!_?" They said.

'Did I just lose to a _twelve-year-old boy_ in a contest of looks_!_?' Chêne wondered, turning slightly blue with shock.

"Are you telling me to dance here, in public_!_? With the likes of you_!_?" Ciel yelled incredulously. "Why don't you ask Chêne_!_?"

'That's what I'd like to know...' Chêne thought glumly.

"Although I must admit that Chêne would make an excellent dancing partner, I can only take one of you at the moment, and _you_ are the one investigating the viscount for the queen, are you not?" Sebastian pointed out to Ciel. "Besides, have you forgotten? Since I am but your tutor, _for the present_... I am of a position to dance with you in public, my Lady. Not as your butler, but as your _tutor_, who also numbers among the upper classes. To others, it will simply appear as though I am merely chaperoning my student, the younger sister of my lovely fiancée."

"R... Right..." Ciel said, sweat dropping, as Chêne breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and she tried not to blush too much at the 'lovely fiancée' part.

"I shall lead in order to avoid colliding with the other couples. Let us take to the floor." Sebastian told Ciel.

"Right, and I'll try to find a dance partner, so I can cross over, too." Chêne said.

"_No._ It will be enough for you to simply wait here." Sebastian said, flashing her a blinding shit-eating grin. Chêne blinked, confused. What was_ his_ problem? Why did Sebastian seem a little angry to her...? Ciel wished that _he_ could play the part of the wallflower.

"Now, concentrate on the music." Sebastian instructed Ciel as they left the confused Chêne on the balcony and took to the dance floor. "If you match your steps to its rhythm, I will take care of the rest."

"To think, I'm dancing as a girl!" Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. "I will _never_ do this again, do you understand_!_?"

"Heh! Yes, tonight will be the first and the last time." Sebastian agreed, grinning. "Proceed forward, just like that. We shall cut across the hall." Sebastian whispered.

=†=†=†=†=

'_We've made it at last...!_!' Ciel thought as he fell onto his knees, wheezing slightly as he tried to catch his breath, too exhausted from dancing to even say it. His corset was too tight. Ciel was amazed that women could even _breathe_ while wearing them.

"Really. How unsightly to be exhausted over such a trifle." Sebastian said in disapproval as he helped the wobbling Ciel up from the floor. "If it were Chêne—"

*Clap. Clap. Clap.*

Ciel and Sebastian looked up to see who was applauding such an awkward dance.

"Exquisite." The Viscount of Druitt said. Chêne was standing beside him, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. How in the world had she managed that..._!_?

"Your younger sister is quite charming, as well, Miss Bluebird." Viscount Druitt told Chêne, smiling handsomely at her. "Your dance was as lovely as a robin taking wing... young lady." He praised Ciel.

"Yes, thank you very much for helping me find her, Viscount." Chêne said, smiling politely. "It seems we have managed to find my fiancé as well." She said, joining Sebastian by his side, and holding onto his arm, smiling affectionately at the demon butler. Sebastian didn't let it show, but he was slightly surprised Chêne had been so openly affectionate towards him, but the way she had emphasized fiancé implied that the viscount had made quite a few unwanted advances towards her already.

'The Viscount of Druitt! To think that he would approach me first...' Ciel thought. Thank goodness they had brought Chêne along.

"My Lady, we shall fetch you something to drink." Sebastian told Ciel, excusing himself and Chêne from their company. The viscount would certainly be more likely to act if Ciel's 'chaperones' weren't around.

"Yes, some lemonade sounds like a lovely idea, darling." Chêne said, smiling sweetly at Sebastian as they left together.

"You seem quite tense." Sebastian observed, once they had put some distance between themselves and Ciel and the viscount.

"That guy just gives me the creeps! He kept hitting on me, even after I told him I was 'engaged." Chêne said, shuddering at the memory of how the viscount had very subtly _groped_ her after he kissed her hand. "When I get home, I'm dousing myself in some _Industrial-strength _cleaning fluid...!" She added, grimacing.

"I see, and that is why you behaved so affectionately, despite your initial reaction to finding out the role that had been assigned to you." Sebastian said, smirking. No permanent damage seemed to have been done, so Sebastian was of the opinion that whatever had happened to Chêne was a just punishment for disobeying him. Well, at least her disobedience had produced a better result than Ciel's previous attempt to get close to the viscount.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back with Ciel and Viscount Druitt...}

"Ah... umm... I am most honored by your compliment." Ciel said awkwardly, curtseying as he forced a smile. He had adopted the 'cutie-honey girl' voice, as Chêne had called it when she coached him. It was sickening, but as Chêne had said, 'you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.'

"Pray tell, with whom did you come this evening... other than that lovely elder sister of yours, Miss Robin?" The viscount asked, kissing Ciel's hand. Ciel shuddered, breaking out in goosebumps. This guy was such a creep!

"A-Auntie Angelina brought us here." Ciel said, smiling as he tried to discretely wipe his gloved hand off on his skirt.

"Madam Red? I see... are you enjoying yourself?" Viscount Druitt asked Ciel.

"I really am terribly impressed with this wonderful party." Ciel said. "... But... I have wanted nothing more than to talk to the viscount all this time."

"Ohh?" Viscount Druitt said, smirking. Ciel sighed and pouted slightly.

"I have had my fill of eating and dancing." Ciel said. The viscount grinned.

"A willful princess, aren't we... my little Robin?" Viscount Druitt said coyly, leaning close to Ciel.

"!" Ciel said. Did this man not know the meaning of 'personal space'..._!_?

"Do you long for yet more pleasurable amusement?" Viscount Druitt asked as he ran his hand up and down Ciel's side, caressing his waist. Ciel shivered in disgust. So he really does like all kinds of women.

'Bear with it! I must bear with it_!_!' Ciel thought, restraining himself from slapping the man. 'Only for this moment... was I subjected to this... and that_!_!' He thought, remembering how he'd been forced into different dress, and subjected to humiliating lessons on how to behave like a proper lady... the only consolation had been that he wasn't alone in his suffering, since they had targeted Chêne as well. "Y-Yes. Have you something more interesting in mind, Viscount?" Ciel asked, forcing a smile.

"Of course. Allow me to show you, my lovely Robin..." Viscount Druitt said seductively (?) as he leaned in closer.

'I say, man! That face is too close_!_!' Ciel thought, twitching slightly. Why did this creep insist on invading his personal space_!_? Viscount Druitt caressed Ciel's face. 'Guwaaah_!_! Once this has all ended, I will put this bastard in the ground myself_!_!' Ciel yelled in his mind, vein mark throbbing on his head. If this went on, Ciel might be the one committing a murder tonight! 'I must get it out of him before the dance ends...' Ciel thought. "What sort of things?" He asked, forcing a smile once again. Ciel glanced to the side. Lizzie was staring straight at him from across the ballroom. Apparently, she hadn't given up on chasing him yet. 'She's looking this way_!_!' Ciel thought, panicking.

"Would you like to know?" Viscount Druitt asked.

'It will be all for naught if Elizabeth approaches me here.' Ciel thought. "Oh, yes. I am... most curious." He said. 'Hurry...' Ciel silently urged the viscount. The song was going to end soon.

"But perhaps it is a little too soon for you?" Viscount Druitt said coyly.

'Hurry_!_!' Ciel thought anxiously. "I am a proper lady already." Ciel countered. The final note of the song rang through the air, bringing the dancing to an end for the moment. The audience began applauding the performance. "!" Ciel said, alarmed. 'The dance has ended_!_!' He thought, panicking, as Lizzie began to make her way towards him through the crowd.

"Can you keep a secret from the Madam?" Viscount asked Ciel.

'Don't be so pretentious_!_!' Ciel thought, vein throbbing on his head. "Of course! I certainly can!" Ciel said, managing to sound more confident than he felt. Lizzie was getting closer.

"You seem to be worried about something?" Viscount Druitt said, gently tilting Ciel's face up to look back at him.

"Oh_!_? Ah! No!" Ciel said nervously, flinching slightly in surprise at the other man's touch. _'Elizabeth!_!' Ciel yelled internally, silently begging the girl not to come any closer. She was only a yard or two away now_. 'My life will be over!_!'

*_Whaaam!_*

Elizabeth was cut off in her pursuit of Ciel when a tall wooden cabinet was suddenly dropped in her path. A mysterious, masked, raven-haired man and a masked, dark blue-grey-haired girl in a blue dress accompanied the white cabinet. The man was kneeling beside the cabinet, and the girl was perched on top of it, smiling coyly at the audience.

'Sebastian_!_? Chêne_!_?' Ciel thought, surprised. Where the bloody hell did they find that thing_!_? Madam Red and Lau were also surprised by their dramatic appearance. The party guests murmured amongst themselves, intrigued. Sebastian smirked as he stood, and held his arms out to catch Chêne as she gracefully jumped down off of the cabinet, and caught her, spinning around once for show.

"Now that the party is at its height..." Chêne said charismatically, smiling flirtatiously at their audience.

"Allow my lovely assistant and me to present to the ladies and gentlemen here... an illusion that makes use of this closet." Sebastian finished, smiling mysteriously.

"Sir, if you please. Would you be so kind as to lend a hand?" Chêne asked Lau. She figured it would be best to ask someone they knew, since a friend would be more likely to be careful during the stunt they were about to pull.

"Me? Very well." Lau said, smiling knowingly. Thankfully, Lizzie looked really excited and curious about Sebastian and Chêne's act, and she had forgotten all about chasing Ciel, for the moment.

"And now, I shall enter... this plain and ordinary closet." Sebastian said, smirking slightly.

"As you can see, ladies and gentlemen, this closet has not been altered in any way!" Chêne said, smiling, as she opened the doors and gestured to different areas of the cabinet, demonstrating that there were no tricks. She looked just like a real magician's assistant. She was clearly having fun.

"I do not recall requesting a conjuror...?" Viscount Druitt said, slightly puzzled.

"Ha!" Ciel gasped softly. This was his chance—it was now or never! "My Lord, I have seen enough magic as well. So... 'kay?" Ciel said, laying on the cutesy act really thick. He even used Chêne's patented irresistible 'sad puppy' eyes. _'Ugh, somebody gag me...'_ Ciel thought, feeling totally idiotic.

"Oh dear! All right, my Robin." The viscount said, quite pleased with himself. He was such a lady-killer. Ciel was so appalled with his own behavior that he shuddered and nearly broke out in hives.

"Right this way." Viscount Druitt said, lifting a tapestry on the wall to reveal a hidden door.

"!" Ciel said, surprised. He clenched his fist, determined to get this over with, and followed the viscount into the secret passage.


	30. That Butler, Capricious4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Capricious 4<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>For the purpose of this chapter, Chêne's fake British accent <span>**and Ciel's 'girly voice'** will be underlined whenever they speak with them.

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

*sound effect* I've decided that **from now on, sound effects** will just be in **Small caps** because my comp keeps trying to do weird stuff whenever I add asterisks.

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Right this way." Viscount Druitt said, lifting a tapestry on the wall to reveal a hidden door._

"_!" Ciel said, surprised. He clenched his fist, determined to get this over with, and followed the viscount into the secret passage._

* * *

><p>"Once I have made my way into the closet, Sir... please listen to my assistant's instructions on how to secure it tightly with this chain." Sebastian told Lau as he handed him a long metal chain.<p>

"Then, please employ these swords... to pierce the closet." Chêne said, smiling, as she stepped forward and displayed an array of swords. The audience began talking nervously and excitedly amongst themselves when they realized what a daring act they were about to witness. Lizzie gulped nervously.

"I shall return alive form its skewered recesses. There are no tricks involved." Sebastian said, smiling as he entered the cabinet. "I hope you all enjoy this unique illusion." Chêne closed the doors and helped Lau secure the chain around the cabinet.

"Sir, you may begin whenever ready." Chêne told Lau as she stepped aside to give Lau room.

"Ahem! Right, then here I go." Lau said, looking a little nervous as he took a sword.

'Good.' Chêne thought. 'He knows Sebastian's inside, so he's being cautio—_!_?'

Lau suddenly flipped into the air and slammed the sword directly through the center of the top of the cabinet, right where Sebastian's head should be. Chêne's jaw dropped as she and the rest of the audience turned blue with shock. One man's glasses even cracked because he was so freaked out.

'_He aimed directly at the head first—!_?' They all yelled internally.

"Haaaaah_!_!" Lau yelled as he continued to stab the swords into the cabinet, rapid fire. He was so fast, you could only see a Lau shaped blur as he moved. There was an intense gleam in his eye as Lau focused on turning the cabinet into a deadly pincushion. "Kaaaaah_!_! Haaaaaaah_!_!" Lau suddenly stopped when he ran out of swords, wiping his brow as he smiled brightly.

"I suppose that will do." Lau said calmly, smiling as though he hadn't just committed an outrageously violent act. Chêne sweat dropped. That was the understatement _of the year_. The cabinet was chock full of swords. There was barely any space left on the cabinet that hadn't been pierced with one.

'Maybe I shouldn't have 'borrowed' so many swords from the viscounts collection... even if Sebastian is a demon, being stabbed has _got_ to hurt...!' Chêne thought guiltily. Well, this whole thing had been Sebastian's idea anyway...

"Well... what do you say? Is he still alive?" Chêne asked the audience, smiling wryly as she tugged on the chain, and it fell to the floor with a clang.

_Creeeak._

A few of the swords also fell from the cabinet as the doors slowly creaked open. The audience gulped nervously, wondering if they were about to see a miracle or a blood bath...

"Ta-daaa~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly when Sebastian emerged from the cabinet, completely unharmed, and smiling. She was so relieved that he was okay after all of that. The audience cheered enthusiastically.

"Wooooow! Amazing_!_! It's a miracle_!_! Bravooo_!_!" The crowd roared as Sebastian and Lau smiled and waved to the crowd while Chêne did 'jazz hands.' The three of them took a bow as their audience applauded them, and Sebastian picked up the cabinet, hoisting it over his shoulder, like it was nothing, as he and Chêne retreated before the curious audience could approach them.

=†=†=†=†=

"... Are you sure you're all right?" Chêne asked Sebastian as they returned to the ballroom after discarding their masks and the props they had 'borrowed' from the viscount's home.

"Of course. You know I am a demon, Chêne. I will not die from something as trivial as that." Sebastian said, smirking.

"Trivial, you say..." Chêne mumbled, sweat dropping. "But even so... it must still hurt to be stabbed, right?" Chêne asked, frowning slightly in concern. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise as he glanced at Chêne. She really was a strange and interesting girl... no one would normally be concerned for a demon in such a way.

"Oh? Were you worried about me?" Sebastian asked Chêne, smirking deviously, as he leaned in closer to her and caressed her face. Chêne blushed and pushed his hand away, taking a step back.

"Why do you keep messing with me so much lately_!_?" Chêne demanded indignantly. Ever since Sebastian had found out her feelings for him, his teasing had been taken to a whole new level, and now included stuff like _this_. He was also increasingly using more innuendos whenever they were alone, much to her chagrin and embarrassment. There was only so much a girl's heart and nerves could take!

"Because I can!" Sebastian said, smiling brightly at her.

"Ugh... You're lucky that I'm too short to slap you without standing on a stool, or my handprint would be tattooed to the side of your face by now." Chêne said, chagrined. Maybe she should start carrying one around with her for times like this... Sebastian smirked, clearly amused.

"Don't you smirk at me_!_?" Chêne yelled indignantly, blushing, as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. The fact that Chêne couldn't help but think how handsome he looked when he smirked like that just added to her frustration from having her weak point (aka Sebastian) being used against her by the person himself.

"My, are you two perhaps having a little lover's spat?" Lau asked as he approached them.

"Don't even joke like that!" Chêne snapped as she glared coldly at Lau. Lau flinched in shock. Chêne was usually such a happy and sweet girl, that it was all the more disturbing whenever she was upset.

"Uwaah... who knew Miss Chêne could be so scary..." Lau said, smiling nervously as he sweat dropped. He much preferred Chêne's usual hotheaded retorts to this frightening ice queen that had suddenly appeared before him.

"That was wonderful, Sebastian! And Chêne, you made such a lovely assistant!" Madam Red praised them as she walked over to join them.

"Madam." Sebastian said, greeting her. Chêne exhaled, deciding she should probably calm down for now. They were still in enemy territory, after all.

"Thank you, Madam Red." Chêne said, smiling politely.

"You're normally so innocent and naïve, but it looks like you _can_ be seductive when you try~!" Madam Red teased Chêne, nudging her in the side.

"I-I was just copying the behavior of the assistant I saw when I took my sister to a magic show." Chêne said, smiling wryly. She was feeling a little embarrassed now. "Besides, Sebastian had the hard part..." she added, sweat dropping.

"Indeed! The closet was like a pincushion. Hahaha_!_!" Lau said, smiling brightly as he clapped. "I thought maybe I'd really killed you!"

"If you really think that way, then you should do us all a favor and learn the meaning of _'hold back'_..." Chêne deadpanned. Was Lau _trying_ to become a murderer?

"It did hurt a bit. I did not think you would begin with my head." Sebastian muttered, absentmindedly touching his head, where he'd been stabbed. "Anyone else would've died." It was too low for the others to hear, but Chêne did since she was right next to him.

'_So he really did get stabbed._.._!_?' Chêne thought, paling slightly.

"So? How did you do it?" Lau asked curiously.

"You didn't know, but you went and used all those swords anyway_!_?" Madam Red yelled, appalled, and turning blue with shock. Was that something a normal person should do_!_?

"..." Sebastian and Chêne said, staring at the Chinese man. They seconded that emotion. Lau was quite frightening... in his own way.

"... I believe I explained as much earlier? That there were no tricks... involved." Sebastian said, smiling mysteriously as he glanced at Chêne, his eyes glittering in amusement.

'I think most people would consider using demonic powers cheating, though...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping and smiling wryly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile...}

"The guests seem to be having fun in the hall." Ciel observed as he followed the viscount through the secret passage. He could hear the crowd cheering. 'What are they doing?' Ciel wondered, sweat dropping. Knowing those two, it was probably something sensationally ridiculous.

"Hmph... you will have much more fun at the splendid place we are going." Viscount Druitt said, grinning at Ciel as he opened another door.

'What's this? This room smells awfully sweet...' Ciel thought as he stepped into the room with the viscount. "A splendid pla—_!_?" Ciel asked, startled when he was suddenly overcome with extreme dizziness, and he had to struggle to stay standing. 'Damn_!_!' Ciel cursed mentally. He remembered now. During one of his science lessons with Chêne, she had gone off on a tangent about how certain chemicals had distinct smells, and could be used to paralyze a person or render them unconscious. 'I have to get out of here...' Ciel thought as his vision started to fade. '... Quickl...' Ciel completely blacked out as his body slid to the floor.

"Yes... Oh yes. A very splendid place indeed... my little Robin..." The viscount said ominously as he loomed over Ciel.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

I had funny dream last night where Sebastian, Ciel, and Chene somehow ended up back in her time/world, and met Chene's family... and Lacey !XD I'm thinking it might be entertaining to share, so I might write a chap like that once I'm done with this arc. Let me know what you think! (^-^)


	31. That Butler, Commendable

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Commendable<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

I've decided that **from now on, sound effects** will just be in **ALL ****CAPS** because my comp keeps trying to do weird stuff whenever I add asterisks.

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

'_What's this? This room smells awfully sweet...' Ciel thought as he stepped into the room with the viscount. __"A splendid pla—!"__ Ciel asked, startled when he was suddenly overcome with extreme dizziness, and he had to struggle to stay standing. 'Damn!' Ciel cursed mentally. He remembered now. During one of his science lessons with Chêne, she had gone off on a tangent about how certain chemicals had distinct smells, and could be used to paralyze a person or render them unconscious. 'I have to get out of here...' Ciel thought as his vision started to fade. '... Quickl...' Ciel completely blacked out as his body slid to the floor._

"_Yes... Oh yes. A very splendid place indeed... my little Robin..." The viscount said ominously as he loomed over Ciel._

* * *

><p>"Haah!" Ciel gasped, breathing heavily as he leaned forward against the wall of his bedroom. "Se—Sebastian..." He moaned.<p>

_CREEAK._

"Now, please place your hands on the wall, and... relax your muscles a bit further." Sebastian instructed Ciel as he loomed over his young master from behind.

"I can't—! Take it anymore!" Ciel groaned anxiously as he panted, sweat dripping down his fair skin from the effort of enduring the sharp pain he was feeling.

_CREEEAK._

"Chêne—! Make him stop_!_!" Ciel moaned.

"J-Just calm down, Ciel... I-It'll only hurt more if you f-fight him..." Chêne said, shaking slightly as she watched. Sebastian had already... finished with her. Ciel clenched his fists in frustration.

_CLENCH._

"... No! It hurts—!" Ciel cried.

"Do bear with it a little longer, Sir. You will find your body becoming accustomed to it soon." Sebastian said solemnly as he stared down at his master's small back. "Look at Chêne... she was unwilling at first, because of the pain, but now..."

"Ah! Coming—" Ciel moaned, his face flushing as he clenched his fists, bracing himself. _"They're coming out! My guts are on the verge... of coming out of my body, I say!_!_" _Ciel shouted, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"No lady has yet had her innards squeezed out... by a corset!" Sebastian said as he yanked the laces on Ciel's corset even tighter.

CREEEEAK.

"I thought Chêne was difficult before, but compared to you, she is much less of a whiner." Sebastian remarked.

"T-That's right, Ciel... You're just going to have to suck it up...! Now you know why I worked so had to figure out how to make my own bras, instead of just wearing_ corsets _all the time!" Chêne said, shaking as she tried to suppress her laughter. It kind of hurt to laugh since Sebastian had already helped her into her own corset. Sebastian had insisted she wear one too, since apparently it was _'obvious'_ when a woman wasn't wearing one... probably because she could actually breathe. Still, Chêne never thought she'd see the day Ciel dressed in drag...

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel awoke with a start.

'A dream, huh...' Ciel said, panting. Not only did he have that stupid nightmare that made him relive that mortifying experience, but also Ciel discovered that he had been tied up. "!" Ciel said, straining against his bonds. He realized he couldn't see either. 'It's dark... no, a blindfold? I've been restrained somehow...' Ciel thought. "Tch!" He clicked his tongue in irritation. 'As if the corset bondage wasn't enough, now I've been bound further, eh...?' He thought. Ugh, it made him sick just remembering how Madam red had fussed about how he had no 'wasp waist' and how it was a must for any woman—He was a _boy,_ for crying out loud! Of course he wouldn't have one! Then they had the nerve to compare him to Chêne, saying how she had a 'surprisingly sexy' hourglass figure, even without a corset—saying how he should hurry up and catch up to his 'big sister.' Chêne hadn't found the situation so amusing then, and she had blushed cherry red from head to toe out of shyness. The others all had a good laugh at that. 'Just because it's not their problem...' Ciel thought, fed up with how annoying everyone had been. Chêne had at least _tried_ to hold back her laughter. Sebastian had obviously enjoyed their suffering _way_ too much. 'Anyway, where am I?' He wondered, glancing around despite his blindfold. He could hear a low humming sound. "...?" Ciel said curiously. 'The sound of people conversing?' He thought.

CLANG! CLANG!

"Quiet please, everyone... Next, I present to you the featured item for which everyone has been waiting." Viscount Druitt announced.

'The viscount's voice_!_!' Ciel thought. It sounded like he was close by. 'Item? What is he talking about...?' Ciel wondered.

"Won't you please feast your eyes upon this!" Viscount Druitt said dramatically as he removed the dark fabric that had been draped over Ciel's 'birdcage.'

_FLAP._

Through his blindfold, Ciel could now just barely make out what looked like people sitting in chairs... were those masks? The crowd murmured excitedly when the saw the lovely 'young lady.'

"Derive your enjoyment from appreciating her as you would a fine piece of art... or keep her as you would a pet. She would prove a glittering jewel for any ritual as well, would you not agree? Or according to demand, you may wish to sell her off in pieces." The viscount said.

"Wh—_!_?" Ciel said, appalled.

"A prize of this caliber is a very rare one indeed. The color of her eyes is a beautiful contrast between the sea, which reflects the sky, and the deepest forest." The viscount added.

'An underground auction, eh_!_?' Ciel thought. How disgusting.

"Now, allow me to show you." The viscount said, signaling for his own 'lovely assistant,' who was dressed like a masked dominatrix, began to untie the blindfold.

'This man... so he's been selling off the organs of the murdered prostitutes here...' Ciel thought, frowning as he furrowed his brow.

"The starting bid is 1000 pounds!" The viscount announced once the blindfold was completely removed. Ciel hadn't even opened his eyes yet, and already the crowd was fighting to bid for him.

"2000_!_!" A man yelled.

"3000_!_!" Another cried. Ciel opened his eyes. A few people gasped, and the bids increased significantly.

"Come now, does no one wish to place a higher bid?" The viscount asked, grinning. "Sebastian. I'm here." Ciel said coolly. The all of the candles in the room suddenly flickered and were snuffed out by an unseen force, plunging the room into total darkness.

"_!_?" The viscount said, startled. The audience began murmuring amongst themselves nervously. "What is going on on_!_?" Viscount Druitt demanded.

"Gyah_!_! Guah_!_! Waah_!_!" People began to cry out in pain and panic as they were attacked in the pitch black room.

THOK! _CRACK!_ SNAP! _CRUNCH!_

A gust of wind swept through the room once it had become eerily silent, and the candles relit themselves again.

"My, my." Sebastian said patronizingly. "You really posses no talents... save for being captured, Sir." Sebastian clapped his hands together, brushing the 'filth' from his gloves.

CRUNCH.

Sebastian and Ciel glanced in the direction the sound of had just come from to see... Chêne... crouching down next to the viscount, and holding his head up by the clump of his blond hair she was holding tightly in the fist that hadn't just broken the man's nose.

"... What? He was still twitching!" Chêne said defensively as she let go of his hair, and the viscount's head fell to the floor with a loud 'thump.' She noticed they were still staring at her. "Oh, I'm sorry, Ciel! Did you want to have a go?" Chêne asked, yanking the viscount's head up again... Blood was flowing from his nose like a red waterfall now.

"..." Sebastian and Ciel said.

"... I'll take that as a 'no.'" Chêne said, shrugging as she let go, and the viscount's face slammed back down into the floor. Ciel sweat dropped. Was it 'that time of the month' again...? Chêne always got a little scary when someone pissed her off while she was in pain. Sebastian hid his smirk. It was always interesting to watch Chêne take out her irritation on others like that since she was normally very forgiving, almost to the point of being naïve.

"Do you not think you are too careless because you trust I will come when you call?" Sebastian asked Ciel, continuing where he'd left off before Chêne's little revenge on the viscount for groping her earlier had interrupted him. Ciel glanced at him.

"So long as I hold the covenant, you will come for me whether I call you or not." Ciel said matter-of-factly.

"..." Sebastian said as he stared down at his young master.

"It'd still be better if you didn't get caught at all." Chêne said, sweat dropping. 'The 'covenant' is a 'mark' a devil imprints upon the one who enters into its agreement—its prey—so as not to lose sight of it. The more obvious the location of this 'mark,' the greater the power of the covenant.' Chêne thought, remembering how Sebastian had explained the mark on Ciel's eye to them years ago. 'However... nevermore shall there be any hope of escape from the devil's grasp.' She watched as Sebastian approached Ciel's cage, and pulled on the bars, easily bending them apart to make an opening for Ciel to exit through. 'It sounds all mystical, but I can't help but be reminded of how a komodo dragon bites it's prey, and uses its saliva to track its prey, so it eat it later, once it's died from all the deadly bacteria in the saliva...' She thought, sweat dropping. Her random connections of useless information just totally ruined an otherwise 'cool' and 'mysterious' phenomena by comparing a handsome demon to a giant lizard.

"I shall accompany you wherever you may go... until the very end." Sebastian told Ciel, placing a hand over his chest. "Though this body may perish, I shall escort you to the farthest reaches of hell." He said as he helped Ciel out of the cage. "I do not speak falsely... as humans do." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he glanced at Chêne. Chêne furrowed her brow and frowned at him.

"Don't look at me when you say that! I don't make promises I can't keep!" Chêne huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "I might not be a powerful demon, I'll do whatever 's within my power, as a human, to help you, Ciel. You're stuck with me too." Chêne told Ciel, grinning cheekily at him as she said the last part and untied him.

"That's just as well. Don't _you_ lie to me. Not ever!" Ciel told both of them seriously.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smiling as he bowed to Ciel.

"You got it!" Chêne said, grinning as she glomped the young earl.

"Hey_!_?" Ciel said indignantly, blushing out of embarrassment. How many times did he have to tell Chêne that he didn't do hugs_!_?

"—Well. I have already contacted the Yard... so they will be arriving at any moment." Sebastian said, smirking at Ciel's discomfort after being showered with Chêne's sisterly affection.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Chêne said as she finally let go of Ciel.

"Then let's not dawdle. The chaps at the Yard will be none too pleased to find us here." Ciel said, sighing. He was ready to get out of this stupid corset and dress.

"Especially with that appearance of yours... '_My Lady.'_" Sebastian said, snickering.

"Pfft...!" Chêne said, slapping a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter. She just couldn't help it... It was too funny.

'_Th-That's right_..._!_!' Ciel thought, flinching as he paled slightly. There was no way he was letting anyone else see him like this! "Ahem! Anyway!" Ciel said, clearing his throat, as he tried to suppress his blush. "With this, the case of Jack the Ripper is closed!"

"... Some how it feels like this was too easy..." Chêne murmured thoughtfully. 'If it was this easy, why didn't they ever catch the Jack the Ripper in my world too...?' She wondered. Neither of the two young humans noticed it, but Sebastian smiled like a Cheshire cat when he heard Chêne's comment, as if he knew something they didn't.

"Chief Inspector, this way!" They heard someone yell from behind the door leading to secret passage.

"!" Ciel said.

"Crap, it's the fuzz!" Chêne said with a comically serious face.

"..." Ciel said, sweat dropping. There goes Chêne with her ridiculous modern slang again.

"In any case, it would appear that the yard has arrived." Sebastian deadpanned.

"Fuah_!_?" Ciel and Chêne said in surprise as Sebastian grabbed both of them, and held each of them in one of his arms. Chêne blushed. He was almost holding her like you would a bride... _almost_.

"Let us be off." Sebastian said, grinning devilishly.


	32. That Butler, Commendable2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Commendable 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Crap, it's the fuzz!" Chêne said with a comically serious face._

"_..." Ciel said, sweat dropping. There goes Chêne with her ridiculous modern slang again._

"_In any case, it would appear that the yard has arrived." Sebastian deadpanned._

"_Fuah!" Ciel and Chêne said in surprise as Sebastian grabbed both of them, and held each of them in one of his arms. Chêne blushed. He was almost holding her like you would a bride... almost._

"_Let us be off." Sebastian said, grinning devilishly._

* * *

><p><em>THUMP.<em>

Sebastian landed gracefully on the roof as he held Chêne and Ciel in his arms. Chêne blinked.

'Eh...? When did we get on the roof_!_?' Chêne thought. It felt like hey had just instantly appeared there since Sebastian was so fast. 'Though, I guess I really shouldn't be so surprised by something like this after everything else I've seen...'

"?" Lizzie said, turning around from where she had been standing on the balcony in the ballroom. Lizzie stared at the bare roof, where the escaping trio had been just a moment ago. "Just now, I thought I felt something there... was it only my imagination?' Lizzie wondered as she rubbed her eyes.

=†=†=†=†=

{The next day, the Study in Ciel's townhouse}

_Jack the Ripper appears once more!  
>The victim is Annie Chapman. A prostitute is sacrificed again!<em>!

BAM!

Ciel slammed the daily paper down on the table after reading its headline.

"_How could this be!_? The viscount didn't go anywhere last night!" Ciel yelled, frustrated.

"If it becomes seemingly impossible for our lone suspect to have committed the murder... then it does beg the question of a possible copycat... No, or even of there having been multiple culprits from the very start." Lau said.

"In other words, we were off the mark in suspecting the viscount?" Madam Red said.

"We're back to square one..." Ciel said, sighing.

"Well, at least we managed to get one creep off the streets..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "We just need to readjust the search parameters. We'll catch him."

"I'll narrow down the suspects again. Sebastian, the list." Ciel said. He wasn't going to lose this time.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said, ever the faithful servant.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that day...}

"Umm... I know this is kind of late, but I didn't want to look suspicious in front of the others, and this is the first time we've actually been alone... but..." Chêne said hesitantly. She, Ciel, and Sebastian had been working for a while now, and Madam Red and Lau had finally gotten bored, and went off to find something more interesting to do.

"... But?" Ciel asked, giving her a look that said 'spit it out.'

"But there was also a serial killer called 'Jack the Ripper' in the Victorian era of my world. He was never caught, though, so I can't really give you any clues there, and I doubt it's the same person either. The cases are similar, but there are distinct differences." Chêne explained.

"How so?" Sebastian asked, intrigued. It was rather interesting that while they were two different and separate worlds, Chêne's more futuristic world seemed to mirror theirs very closely.

"Well... there were two types of wounds on some of the victims. Some of the cuts were smooth, and controlled, like they were probably made by a medical professional, and some were rough, like the perpetrator was just butchering the victim. The victims were also prostitutes, and they all had organs removed as well, but what the killer took wasn't limited to their wombs... The missing organ varied from victim to victim. Some victims had their wombs taken, and others had parts of their livers, and even their heart taken." Chêne explained. "I can't remember all of the victim's names, but there were five known victims that could be directly related to the M.O. of Jack the Ripper. I remembered Mary Ann Nichols, because she was thought to be the first victim in my world. And, while there is no evidence of any sexual activity with any of the victims, psychologists suppose that the penetration of the victims with a knife and leaving them on display in sexually degrading positions with the wounds exposed could indicate that the perpetrator derived sexual pleasure from the attacks. However, this view is challenged by others who dismiss such hypotheses as insupportable supposition. It's been assumed that the suspect was a man, because that's statistically more likely, but I think it could also be a woman... men aren't the only ones capable of murder."

"Interesting... there's no denying the similarities." Sebastian said. "However... you said there were only five victims. Why would the killer stop at five?" He asked curiously. Chêne furrowed her brow slightly in thought.

"About that... as Undertaker said, the type of person committing these murders wasn't one that would be able to stop unless they were made to." Chêne said. "But the killings just suddenly stopped after the fifth victim. I think the reason they stopped might be because Jack the Ripper himself died somehow, or he was arrested for some other, more minor crime, so he couldn't commit any murders because he was locked up."

"That's a good theory, but it doesn't do me any good." Ciel said bluntly as he continued to read through Sebastian's notes on the case. "The two Jack the Rippers are similar, but they are not the same, and I don't intend to just sit back and wait for the killer to stop on their own." Chêne smiled.

"Of course, not! Let's catch this psycho so we can throw his ass in jail!" Chêne said. "Here, you've managed to get your hands on the crime scene photos, right? The photos of this time are still black and white and a little grainy, but I'll see what I can do." She said, holding her hand out to Ciel. Ciel stared at her, slightly taken aback.

"You _want_ to see them?" Ciel asked, shocked.

"To be honest, I'd rather not, but I used to watch crime shows all the time, and Mr. Rick, my next door neighbor was a cop, so while I might not be an expert, but I know a little about how to use the 'powers of observation' on crime scenes." Chêne said, wrinkling her nose at the thought of the gruesome crimes she was about to see.

"I see... I have only seen the images in the paper, myself. If you are that set on seeing them, ask Sebastian." Ciel said, sweat dropping. Chêne turned to Sebastian.

"Gimme." Chêne said, smiling sweetly, as she held out her hand.

"And to think, you had finally started to act like a lady." Sebastian said, sighing wistfully, as he smirked at her. "I believe you can do better than that, Chêne." Chêne furrowed her brow and pouted at him, not amused.

"May I _please_ see the photos of the grizzly and mentally scarring serial killings, oh 'Demonic One'?" Chêne deadpanned. Sebastian smirked.

"Now was that so hard?" He asked her patronizingly.

"No, but... Ciel, have you seen my spine? I used to have one, and I think I dropped it somewhere around here..." Chêne said jokingly as she mimed glancing around the room.

"Just give them to her, Sebastian." Ciel said, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He wasn't in the mood for Chêne's distracting shenanigans. He had a murderer to catch.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said as he retrieved the file of photographs from one of the desk's drawers, and handed them to Chêne. She took a deep breath and braced herself as she opened the file.

"!" Chêne said as she suddenly slammed the file down on a nearby table. "This is—_!_?" She shouted as she stared at the photos spread out on the table.

"What_!_?" Ciel asked, startled by her sudden movement. He thought looking at the photos might disturb her, but... Sebastian stepped up beside her, leaning over to see what she was staring at.

"... This wound..." Chêne said, pointing to one of the jagged wounds that the police had concluded had been made by some unknown 'specialized cutting instrument.' "...This wound was definitely made by a chainsaw...!" Chêne said seriously.

"A what?" Ciel asked. He'd never heard of a 'chain saw' before.

"I do not believe that device has been 'invented' here yet." Sebastian said. Chêne gave them a blank stare.

"So, you're telling me... you guys have the technology to make a steam punk version of a Nintendo DS... but not a chainsaw_!_? You guys have your industrial revolution all backwards." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "A chainsaw is a power tool—I've mentioned those before, right? Anyway, it's a portable mechanical saw, powered by electricity, compressed air, hydraulic power, or most commonly a two-stroke engine. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pruning, and by tree surgeons to fell trees and remove branches and foliage, to fell snags and assist in cutting firebreaks in wildfire suppression, and to harvest firewood." Chêne explained. "The way it works, is that there is a 'guide bar,' a long rounded piece of metal. This 'guide bar' is what you attach the 'cutting chain' to, and the cutting chain is a segmented chain that has little sharp blades, called teeth, embedded into it. The chainsaw's motor makes the cutting chain revolve around the guide bar, and that's where the tool's cutting force comes from. That way, you don't have to manually move the saw back and forth on what you want to cut. You just aim, and apply pressure."

"How is it that you know so much about this? Didn't you say before that power tools and the like were used by men?" Sebastian asked.

"I said they were _usually_ used by men—big difference. My dad used to get me to help him remove the higher branches in the big tree in our yard. I could climb higher than he or the ladder could reach, so he made sure I knew everything about the tool's safety and proper uses." Chêne said, shrugging. Ciel sweat dropped. Most parents would _discourage_ that kind of dangerous behavior.

"Well, it can't be a chainsaw if it doesn't exist." Ciel said dismissively.

"Hmm... that does throw a kink in my deduction, huh? I was so sure, too. Lacey's made me watch _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ so many times, that I'd be able to recognize that kind of cut anywhere... Lacey would probably 'Gibbs slap' me if she were here." Chêne said, sighing. Ciel sweat dropped again.

"Texas chainsaw—_what?_" Ciel asked, hoping he had misheard.

"_Texas Chainsaw Massacre._ It's Lacey's favorite horror movie." Chêne said, grimacing. "I like horror movies too, but I prefer the ones without so much... gore. The title says it all. The whole movie was basically watching a group of people be terrified while they were chased and ripped to pieces by a chainsaw wielding psycho—who was called 'leather face' because he sometimes wore the skin of his victims."

"..." Ciel and Sebastian said, staring at her.

"My, the things you plebeians come up with for entertainment..." Sebastian said, not sure whether he was more amused or shocked that humans actually _paid_ to watch such things. Would it be inappropriate for him to laugh? Chêne sweat dropped.

"Hey, I didn't _want_ to watch it! Lacey insisted that she didn't want to see it alone, so she duck-taped me to a chair and held my eyes open while she played it." Chêne said, shuddering at the memory.

"And that's your _friend_...?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

"Yeah, well, she bought me ten fudge sundaes to make up for it... Besides, they say a good friend will bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you, saying... 'Damn that was fun!' Lacey's that kind of friend." Chêne said, smiling fondly.

"... You're both idiots." Ciel said, frowning slightly in disapproval, as he reshuffled his papers.

"Weeell... we've never actually been in that situation before. We're fast runners." Chêne said, grinning cheekily.

"Oh, and just what did you do that was so naughty?" Sebastian asked suggestively, smirking.

"Well, wouldn't you like to know? I promised Lacey I'd never tell anyone else that particular misadventure, so you're just going to have to be disappointed." Chêne said, smirking back at him. Chêne knew Sebastian was probably just acting like that to mess with her... She must be finally starting to develop some kind of an immunity to his harassment...

"Stop flirting and get back to work!" Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"We're not flirting_!_!" Chêne said defensively, blushing out of embarrassment.

"We're not?" Sebastian asked, smiling 'innocently.'

"_!_?" Chêne said, blushing an even deeper shade of red. "—Shut up_!_?" She yelled, too caught off guard to manage anything better. Correction—she hadn't_ improved _at all_!_! Sebastian snickered softly as he went back to work.


	33. That Butler, Commendable3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Commendable 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Stop flirting and get back to work!" Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead._

"_We're not flirting!" Chêne said defensively, blushing out of embarrassment._

"_We're not?" Sebastian asked, smiling 'innocently.'_

"_!" Chêne said, blushing an even deeper shade of red. "—Shut up!" She yelled, too caught off guard to manage anything better. Correction—she hadn't improved at all! Sebastian snickered softly as he went back to work._

* * *

><p>{That evening...}<p>

_FLASH!_ RUMBLE.

Chêne jumped slightly at the bright flash of lighting and the loud boom of thunder. The lightning and thunder were pretty close together now, so the storm was almost right on top of them.

"The population of London alone is 4.5 million, and that swells further during the Season. By simply relaxing the conditions, the number of suspects increases." Ciel said, lightly slapping the papers he had been reading. Since it was getting late, Ciel had changed into his pajamas and a robe. Sebastian was standing in front of the window, and he was taking notes and organizing the material they had gotten for their new suspect list, narrowing down the suspects according to Ciel's requirements.

"What are you writ—_!_?" Chêne started to ask Sebastian when a blindly bright flash of lightning struck again, causing her to yelp and jump in fright. To her embarrassment, Chêne had unconsciously clung to Sebastian in her fright. "Sorry_!_!" Chêne yelped, jumping away from the demon butler as she quickly released him, blushing.

"Oh, dear. Could it be you are afraid of the storm brewing outside?" Sebastian asked patronizingly as he gave Chêne a brilliant shit-eating grin. 'Come to think of it... Chêne always did seem rather nervous whenever there was a lightning storm, but it usually wasn't this bad.' Sebastian thought.

"How Childish." Ciel said, smirking at her.

"Hmph! You'd be nervous too if you had been struck by lightning before!" Chêne huffed indignantly, crossing her arms.

"... Wait, say that again?" Ciel said, stunned. Did Chêne really just say she had been struck by lightning_!_?

"You heard me! Obviously it didn't hit me directly, or I'd have been fried to a crisp, but it hit the ground right next to me. I somehow managed to survive without any major injuries, but I still had to go to the hospital so they could pump me full of electrolytes. The doctor told me it was a miracle I wasn't paralyzed by all the electricity that had gone through my body!" Chêne explained.

"I see... that might explain a few things." Ciel said, sweat dropping. He wasn't sure if Chêne was cursed or extremely lucky, since strange things seemed to happen to her, but at the same time, she was never seriously hurt by them.

"Yes, it explains quite a few things." Sebastian said, smirking.

"Did you just imply that I was drain bamaged—I mean _brain damaged!_?" Chêne demanded incredulously.

"I rest my case." Ciel deadpanned.

"Hey! I've always been dyslexic! _I was born this way!"_ Chêne snapped defensively. That was why she always had someone double check her math and spelling, to make sure she hadn't accidentally flipped the numbers or letters around in her head, or on paper.

"So, in other words, you've been abnormal since birth?" Sebastian said, smiling radiantly.

"That's _not_ what I meant_!_!" Chêne yelled, her face flushing out of frustration. "—_!_?" She yelped as she actually _hid behind_ Sebastian. "A-Anyway, I think it might help us if we focused more on what the prostitutes had in common, and then work from there. They didn't have any consistent traits among them, like a common hair or eye color, so the killer isn't choosing them for their looks, which is usually the main reason why a killer would chose victims that are complete strangers... People don't usually kill strangers for no reason, so I think 'Jack' must've met them all at least once before." Chêne said, sweat dropping, and blushing out of embarrassment as she avoided their gazes.

"Still at it, are you?" Madam Red asked as she entered the room. Like Ciel, she had dressed for bed, and she was wearing a nightgown with a robe that had butterflies embroidered on it.

"Madam Red." Ciel greeted her.

"All work and no play makes Ciel a dull boy! What say you take a break for a round of _this_?" Madam Red said cheerfully, holding up a chess set.

"The chess set, eh...? That takes me back." Ciel said.

"Doesn't it just? I got it out of the storeroom because Ciel was coming." Madam Red said, smiling, as she sat down at one the tables they had piled up with paperwork. "Now, break time, break time~!" She said brightly as she shoved all of the papers off the table, and onto the floor so she could set up the chessboard.

"Ah! My papers..." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

'I just organized those too...' Chêne thought, smiling wryly and sweat dropping.

"Grell, see to the tea!" Madam Red ordered cheerfully.

"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Grell said nervously as ran out the room to prepare the tea.

'Oh boy... Ciel thought, sighing. Madam Red was obviously not going to give up until he played with her.

=†=†=†=†=

"As it is evening... I have prepared an herbal tea of rosehips." Grell said nervously as he served the tea in a china set that had a wild strawberry pattern. Chêne wondered why he was always so nervous... but she just couldn't find him as annoying as the others did, since he reminded her of a nervous, but quiet little Chihuahua. Chêne had a soft spot for the cute, small, and furry.

"!" Ciel and Madam Red said, sharing a glance when they tasted it.

"_Bleeeeech!_!" Madam Red cried in disgust. "How can herbal tea be salty_!_?" She yelled, vein mark throbbing on her forehead.

'Salt...?' Ciel thought, sweat dropping, as he stared at the awful tea.

"..." Sebastian and Chêne said, remembering the last time something like this had happened, and Sebastian had fallen victim to Tanaka's _special_ lemonade.

'It's all coming back to him...' Sebastian thought.

"_Fix it!_!" Madam Red ordered Grell.

"Eeeee—Yes'm! Even so, I am still a butler for suuure!" Grell cried, flinching from shack at Madam Red's extreme reaction. "Pardon meee!" He cried as he ran from the room.

"Really...!" Madam Red said, sighing in exasperation as she sat back down. She glanced over at Sebastian and Chêne, who were still standing by the window, working on the case. It helped that there hadn't been any lightning in a while. "By contrast, your butler is really rather competent, or should I say a hard worker, or...?"

"Not particularly? Certainly not to that extent." Ciel said, making his next move in the game with one of his black chess pieces.

"If Sebastian is that able, you may as well even leave the investigation of the viscount's residence and all to him. Chêne is quite intelligent as well, so she could assist him, if need be." Madam Red said, moving one of her white pawns. Ciel narrowed his eyes slightly. He picked up his black knight piece.

"He is both my 'might' and my 'hands and feet.' Sebastian is but a 'chessman.'" Ciel said coolly. "And only I, the 'horseman,' can move the 'horse.'" Ciel placed his knight down and captured one of Madam Red's pawns. "If I were to defeat my opponent with an 'automaton of a chessman,' the achievement could not be considered 'my own.'"

'Hrm... He's taken it...' Madam Red thought, sweat dropping as she frowned slightly. Ciel always had been good at games.

"I always give the orders... and without them, he has been disciplined to move not so much as a muscle." Ciel said, smirking slightly. "However, you might say the sole difference between Sebastian and this 'knight' is... that he is a 'knight' who can move to any square in one fell swoop." Ciel picked up his knight chess piece, and knocked Madam Red's king over with it. "Like this."

"Ah! My king is—!" Madam Red said, flinching in surprise. "But that's against the rules! Really!" Madam Red protested, obviously miffed.

"Indeed. That is, if we are playing a 'game' of chess." Ciel said, smirking. "But this world is no chess game, where one cannot win if not playing by the rules. Without fail, players will break the rules... and chessmen will betray the players." Ciel said solemnly. "And if I'm to play games with their like on equal footing, I'd have no chance at victory if I didn't break the rules myself, right? On this chessboard of Great Britain that we call home, letting one's guard down immediately amounts to... _Checkmate._" Ciel said as he placed his knight back down on the board, returning it to its proper place.

"... Surely there must've been... another way for you to live, one that didn't involve you becoming the underworld's watchdog. I'm certain my elder sister—your mother—would've wished for it too." Madam Red said a little sadly. "Despite that, here you are... have you returned, after all, to the underworld... because you wish to avenge my sister and her husband?" Ciel twitched.

"..." Ciel said, gazing stoically back at his aunt.

"Neither my sister and brother-in-law... nor Lizzie and I would want that." Madam Red said sadly.

"I... have never once thought to avenge my parents or anything of the sort." Ciel stated bluntly. "Were I to avenge them, the dead would still not comeback to life... much less be able to enjoy the sweet taste of revenge. Calling it 'vengeance' or a 'battle of revenge' is just glossing over the truth. Such utterances amount to nothing more than the selfishness of the survivors, after all... a luxury of the living, wouldn't you say?"

Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she subtly glanced at Ciel out the corner of her eyes. Sebastian raised an eyebrow. That had been very similar to what he had overheard Chêne tell Ciel that night the three of them met two years ago.

"I did not return to Phantomhive for the sake of the previous head. _I returned for myself._" Ciel said strongly, staring Madam Red straight in the eye. "All I want is to give those who betrayed and defiled the name of Phantomhive... a taste of the humiliation... and pain... that I suffered." The corners of Sebastian's mouth twitched slightly, like he was suppressing a smirk.

TNK!

"Checkmate." Ciel said as he moved his night again, and captured another one of Madam Red's pieces, putting her king in check.

"Aw, gosh! That makes forty-six losses in a row for me." Madam Red said, chagrined, sweat dropping as she rubbed the back of her neck. "You've always been good at this kind of thing, and I've been losing since way back when... Fufu!" She laughed suddenly, getting Ciel's attention. "I still remember the day you were born as if it were yesterday. I'd just started out as a nurse... and I didn't know what to do during the delivery. As a newborn, you were tiny and precious... and I felt I had to protect you. Though, in the end, I couldn't bear any children of my own... to me, you're like my real son." Madam Red said, smiling softly as she gently placed her hand Ciel's head, stroking his hair. "And as a mother to her son, I want you to wash your hands of the underworld." She said, concerned.

"I'm here because I wished for it. I made the choice." Ciel said as he gently removed Madam Red's hand from his head. "So... I have no regrets, and... I do not wish to depend... on anyone." Ciel said resolutely.

Chêne smiled a little sadly. Even though he said that, she still planned on doing her best to spoil Ciel and make sure that she was there if he ever changed his mind, and needed a shoulder to lean on. Sebastian straightened up the papers he and Chêne had been reading, tapping them on a nearby table to make sure all the edges were even. He new the young master would be ready to turn in soon.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Ciel said, giving Madam Red a goodnight kiss on the cheek, as he stood up to leave. "It's been fun, Madam."

"I won't lose next time... Ciel." Madam Red said, winking at him.

"Heh..." Ciel said, amused. "Good night." He exited the room just as Grell came dashing back in.

"I made some more tea—_Awah!_?" Grell cried, narrowly avoiding colliding with Ciel, who just calmly continued on his way. Chêne sweat dropped. Had it seriously taken Grell that long just to make _tea..._?

"Why does he... why must that small child... shoulder something so heart breaking and painful?" Madam Red asked, sighing.

"Madam Red... Thank you, for worrying about our young master." Chêne said, smiling gratefully at the older woman. "I glad to know you are looking out for him, but... please don't forget that humans have the ability to choose both happiness... and unhappiness... that is our privilege as beings born with freewill. Although, I too would rather see Ciel being able to smile and laugh like a normal boy his age... It is his life, and in the end... only he is the one who has a say over what he will do with it, no matter how we may try to shape his path for him. Since that is the case, I feel we must respect his choice. All we can do for him now, is to stay by his side and aid him in anyway we can, so that even if his path is dark, he will not be alone... If his light goes out, then I'll share mine." Chêne said, smiling softly.

"It is just as Chêne says. My master always carries out his word... even if the path he must walk as a result is long, dark... and cold... That is why... I have vowed to serve by the young master's side." Sebastian stated calmly.

"I suppose he'll keep on going even if I try to stop him..." Madam Red said, closing her eyes. "I couldn't be there for him when he was suffering most. _Sebastian, Chêne._" She said, making sure she had their full attention. "I know I shouldn't ask this of you when we barely know each other... but please don't ever leave his side... so he doesn't stray off his path and wonder alone." Chêne's eyebrow twitched slightly. How ironic... Madam Red had just asked a _demon_ to keep Ciel from 'straying from the path' when normally a demon's specialty is to be the one that tempts a person to_ leave_ the 'path of righteousness.'

"Yes... I... shall stand by him and protect him until the very end." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he placed a hand over his chest and kneeled before Madam Red.

"There was really no need to ask, Madam. I will not abandon him either." Chêne promised, gracefully curtsying. Kneeling the way Sebastian had was kind of awkward to do while wearing a skirt... Sebastian stood, and the two Phantomhive servants departed to attend to their young master.

"Madam...?" Grell said nervously as he approached Madam Red, still holding the tray of tea.

_FLASH!_

The bright lightning illuminated Madam Red's cold, expressionless face in an eerie way.

"... Madam..." Grell said nervously, taking a step back as the thunder rumbled through the night.

=†=†=†=†=

"What a frightful night." Lau said as he stared out of the window of his room, and into the dark, stormy night. _"It would seem a storm is brewing..." _The Chinese man said ominously as he opened his eyes.

=†=†=†=†=

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"... Well? How about it? Ciel asked Sebastian and Chêne as they entered his bedroom. Ciel was lounging on his bed, waiting to be tucked in.

"No matter how many times I simulate the events, only the viscount could have been involved in this string of murders." Sebastian stated calmly as he glanced at the papers in his hand.

"But that's based on the criteria we establish earlier. It's possible there really is more than one murderer... if there is, they'd most likely be partners, in my opinion. That's why it seems like there's only one, because they're working so closely together." Chêne said. Ciel sighed as he ran his hand through his hair.

"So we have to alter our search conditions? The viscount couldn't have been involved in yesterday's killing!" Ciel said, annoyed. They were back to square one... _again_.

"Yes, true. It would have been impossible for any of the humans who where at the viscount's residence." Sebastian said calmly. Chêne glanced at him, eyes widening slightly. _What did he just say_..._!_?

"Anyway, tomorrow, we'll—" Ciel said, freezing when Sebastian's odd choice of words hit him.

"... Sebastian..." Chêne said, stunned, as she at Sebastian. She didn't think Sebastian would do something like that without a reason, or unless he had been ordered to, but... _just how many supernatural creatures did they have roaming the streets of merry old London!_? Ciel stared at him in shock, as thought he had just realized he was trapped in the room with a killer. Sebastian smiled calmly at them, as though he could see what they were thinking.

"You don't mean..." Ciel said, sweating nervously.

"You didn't do it, _right_...?" Chêne asked. She spoke with conviction, but her voice was still a little shaky. After all, she knew first hand what Sebastian was capable of... when necessary. Sebastian smirked deviously.

"I have told you many times... that I do not lie." Sebastian told them. "I, your 'chessman,' am your 'might,' your 'hands and feet'... You alone will decide... you yourself will choose... and for that, I shall become your 'might.' _You said as much... 'that day.'"_ Sebastian told Ciel. "I am merely a 'butler.' I will not cross that line. I only faithfully execute what the master orders, and answer what the master asks me." He said, bowing. Chêne exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Thank God it really wasn't Sebastian, or they'd all be screwed...!

"So, it was impossible for a _person_ who was there?" Ciel asked.

"Yes. Exactly." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. Chêne sweat dropped. Was he _trying_ to piss Ciel off? ... Probably.

"Now I see... you bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, gritting his teeth in irritation.

"Heh!" Sebastian said, smirking, as he stood and tossed the useless list of suspects into the air. "By your order... I, your 'chessman'... shall become your 'sword.' Now then..." Sebastian said as the papers fluttered down around them, and Ciel slowly removed his eye patch. "... Let us move into check... _Master_." Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowing demonically.


	34. That Butler, Encounters

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Encounters<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_So, it was impossible for a person who was there?" Ciel asked._

"_Yes. Exactly." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. Chêne sweat dropped. Was he trying to piss Ciel off? ... Probably._

"_Now I see... you bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, gritting his teeth in irritation._

"_Heh!" Sebastian said, smirking, as he stood and tossed the useless list of suspects into the air. "By your order... I, your 'chessman'... shall become your 'sword.' Now then..." Sebastian said as the papers fluttered down around them, and Ciel slowly removed his eye patch. "... Let us move into check... Master." Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowing demonically._

* * *

><p><em>End of the nineteenth—as the Social Season was coming to a close... There occurred a serial murder case that shook Great Britain to its core. The victims were all prostitutes. Every one of them was discovered chopped into pieces, their wombs stolen right out of their bodies. Because of the hideous state in which the victims were found, the killer became known as—<em>

'_Jack the Ripper.'_

{The next night, London's East End}

"It's cold..." Chêne and Ciel said, rubbing their arms as they shivered. It might be summer, but the nights were still rather cool, and the all the rain they had the other day, had turned out to be the precursor for a small cold front. It was probably not the best night for a holding a stakeout in a dark alley.

"Oh, C-Ciel, d-did you want my c-coat?" Chêne asked him. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering due to the cold, despite the fact that she was wearing a tan trench coat. Ciel sweat dropped. While Chêne was a pro at handling hot weather without a sweat—literally, she hardly ever sweated during the English summers since they were so mild compared to the hot and humid summers of Louisiana—she was positively _weak_ to the cold. She even called it her 'kryptonite.'

"It's not that cold, and you look like you need it more..." Ciel said. He noticed Sebastian was smirking at him. The demon butler knew Ciel was just acting tough out of concern for Chêne, not that Ciel would ever admit it. "Anyway, if your teeth chatter any louder than that, you'll alert the killer to our presence!" Ciel said, coughing to hide his embarrassment.

"R-Right, sorry, I-I'll chew some gum to stop it." Chêne said, pulling a small pack of Funtom's cinnamon flavored bubblegum out of her coat pocket, and popping a gumball in her mouth. "Want one?" She asked, offering some to Ciel.

"I'll pass for now." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"Though your usual garb would have stood out In the East End... you must be feeling a slight chill in those clothes? It looks like it might rain as well." Sebastian said, moving to unbutton his coat so he could offer it to Ciel. Ciel had donned the outfit of a 'newspaper boy' as Chêne had called it. Chêne was also disguised as a boy, and she was wearing a similar outfit to Ciel's, only her hair was tucked up under a bowler hat instead. And unlike Ciel, she actually owned a coat that wouldn't stand out too much on the streets... not that it really seemed to be doing her any good... To be honest, they had tried to leave her behind, but Chêne had just followed them anyway.

"Wearing that will make me stand out just as much, so I'll pass." Ciel said.

"But what if you catch a cold, Ciel?" Chêne scolded him. "Come here, if you won't wear Sebastian's coat, then share mine with me." She said, holding her coat open so that she could wrap it around both of them, and share the warmth.

"..." Ciel said, staring at her. "... You're certain he'll make an appearance if we keep watch here, right?" He asked Sebastian, deciding to ignore Chêne's generosity. There was _no way_ he was doing something that embarrassing. Chêne flinched in shock at the rejection, and pouted as she began re-buttoning her coat.

"Fine, but don't come crying to me later when you have the sniffles..." Chêne muttered, sulking.

"Yes. This is the only entrance, and... this is the only path that leads to it." Sebastian said, smirking in amusement at Chêne.

"And you're positive the next target will be Mary Kelly, who lives in that tenement?" Ciel asked, peeking around the corner to look at the next Ripper victim's home.

"Yeah." Chêne said, rubbing her arms for warmth. She honestly didn't understand how Ciel could stand to be out here without a coat.

"I think I have told you as much numerous times? Though, the three of us lying in wait here makes us stick out like sore thumbs..." Sebastian said.

"Ah, that's true..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. They were probably the only ones out on the street at this time of night.

"Quite... In addition to the murdered prostitutes 'lacking internal organs'... There is still another 'commonality." Ciel said.

"_You're welcome."_ Chêne said, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin. After they had finally decided to listen to her, and check into the prostitutes' backgrounds, they finally made some _real _progress. Sebastian just seemed to find the whole thing rather amusing, and he had even said that if Ciel hadn't ordered him to specifically 'narrow down' the list of suspects, then he could've included Chêne's criteria in the search. Sebastian had admitted that Chêne's theory for who and why were probably correct, but he hadn't bothered to investigate them, because rather than 'narrowing down' the list of suspects, it 'widened' it. Ciel was _not_ amused. Ciel sweat dropped and avoided Chêne's gaze.

"But... what makes killing them necessary for _him_?" Ciel asked. "Moreover, I..." Chêne tapped him on the shoulder.

"Ciel, I think we've lost Sebastian..." Chêne said, pointing to where the demon butler was kneeling down in the street, playing with a rather friendly stray cat. Well, Chêne couldn't really blame him. It was _adorable_.

"_... Hey, are you even listening to a word I'm saying, Sebastian!_?" Ciel demanded, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, as Chêne kneeled down beside Sebastian, and began scratching be hind the cat's ear. The cat purred and meowed happily as it snuggled up against the two servants.

"Aaaaaww~!" Chêne cooed, entranced by its cuteness.

"Ah, excuse me. I could not resist." Sebastian said seriously with a gleam in his eye. "As She is a rare beauty, I..."

"How cute..." Chêne said, blushing slightly out of happiness, as the cat cuddled with her.

"We're not keeping it! We already have a cat, don't we_!_? So put it back!" Ciel yelled, scolding them, as a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"Very well.." Sebastian said reluctantly as he and released the stray back into the wild streets of London. "But she is so lovely..." He said regretfully. Chêne nodded in agreement, sadly waving goodbye to the cute kitty.

"If you don't cut it out, I'm telling Jasper that you cheated on her, Chêne." Ciel said bluntly, crossing his arms as he stared down mercilessly at the older girl.

"Nooooo_!_!" Chêne cried in dismay as she jumped up and grabbed Ciel. "It's not what it looks like—I swear! Jasper I and Jasper II will always be the first felines in my heart_!_!"

"I was just joking!" Ciel shouted, managing to escape from Chêne's bone-crushing hug. Sheesh..." Ciel said, sweat dropping, as he sighed in exasperation. 'Just _who_ is the adult around here...?' Ciel wondered, chagrined.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

As a special treat for Halloween, I'm adding a link for a drawing of Chene in her head maid's uniform! Yay~! I realized that I forgot to make one for you guys before... (^-^;) Also, for my story's purpose, instead of navy-blue, Mei Rin's maid uniform is black. And I don't know if I'll make it before midnight, but I'm doing a quick Halloween omake, since I found my original OC profile for Chene, and she's actually supposed to be a Halloween baby––Happy birthday, Chene~! \(^o^)/


	35. That Butler, Encounters2

**Author's note:** It looks like I didn't finish the omake in time for Halloween, so I decided to just save it for after this arc, since it's supposed to be summer in the story right now, and no other major events happen in the manga until Ciel's birthday in December, so October is technically 'still open for business' in this fic. (^-^;)

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Encounters 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_If you don't cut it out, I'm telling Jasper that you cheated on her, Chêne." Ciel said bluntly, crossing his arms as he stared down mercilessly at the older girl._

"_Nooooo!" Chêne cried in dismay as she jumped up and grabbed Ciel. "It's not what it looks like—I swear! Jasper I and Jasper II will always be the first felines in my heart!"_

"_I was just joking!" Ciel shouted, managing to escape from Chêne's bone-crushing hug. Sheesh..." Ciel said, sweat dropping, as he sighed in exasperation. 'Just who is the adult around here...?' Ciel wondered, chagrined._

* * *

><p><em>=Flashback=<em>

"—So it was impossible for a person who was there?" Ciel asked as the rain continued to pour outside.

"—Yes. It was impossible for a _human being_." Sebastian said, smirking slightly.

"Now I see... you bastard..." Ciel growled.

"Now, now, Ciel..." Chêne said soothingly, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. Why did Sebastian always have to provoke him like that...? Chêne continued to pick up the scattered papers as they spoke.

"Heh. I have spoken the truth many times from the very beginning. Likewise, I have not _remotely_ lied with respect to the results of our inquiry." Sebastian said, smirking deviously. "'Someone well-versed in medical science and anatomy,' 'someone involved with a _secret society_ or _cult of black magic_,' and 'someone with no alibi on the nights of the murders.' The only _human being_ who fulfills these conditions is the Viscount of Druitt."

"Indeed, you were telling the truth. However..." Ciel said, grabbing one of the scattered papers in his hand. "... The inquiry was but a farce!" Ciel said angrily, ripping the paper in half.

"Hey, I have to clean that up, you know." Chêne told Ciel, sweat dropping. "And why didn't you say anything if you knew it was just a waste of time?" Chêne asked, frowning in disappointment at Sebastian. "The longer it takes us to catch this creep, the more victims there'll be."

"I was simply following orders." Sebastian told them, smiling.

"Grr..." Ciel growled in frustration, gritting his teeth as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. Chêne sweat dropped. This would not end well... Ciel grabbed a pillow and hurled it at Sebastian as hard as he could. Sebastian dodged it with ease, and the pillow sailed right past him, smacking Chêne right in the kisser.

"My, my, are you taking your anger out on me? You should be careful of your aim, people could get hurt." Sebastian said, smirking.

"_You guys..."_ Chêne muttered, a vein mark throbbed on her forehead as the pillow slid down and off of her face, and fell to the floor.

"Young Master, Chêne, I thought you kept me by your side, and stayed by mine... knowing full well what I am like." Sebastian said, grinning, as he knelt down and picked up the pillow, brushing it off.

"_... Shut up! I am well aware!"_ Ciel yelled, seething.

"Just because I'm still with you, doesn't mean you don't still get on my nerves sometimes..." Chêne muttered, sweat dropping. Sebastian just grinned at them.

"... —" Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, as he ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Is he... _the same as you_?" Ciel asked Sebastian.

"Hmm... No, he is not. I daresay someone like him being in the human world is unusual in and of itself, but—" Sebastian said thoughtfully. "He is neither a human... nor a devil?"

"Then what... is he?" Ciel asked.

"Please don't say he's a werewolf, because those things just creep me out... me and dogs just do _not_ mix well." Chêne said, sweat dropping. Sebastian smirked.

"He is—" Sebastian said.

_=End Flashback=_

"_Gyaaaaaaah!_!" They heard a woman scream.

"_!_!" Ciel and Chêne said, shocked.

"Wha—_!_?" Ciel shouted, alarmed.

"But no one entered the room—!" Chêne cried.

"Let us go!" Sebastian said as the three of them ran towards Mary Kelly's tenement, with Ciel in the lead.

"Wait, Ciel—!" Chêne yelled, realizing too late what they would probably see once they opened that door. There's no way a person could see that and not be mentally scarred!

_BAM!_

Ciel slammed the door open.

"Sebastian, don't let him se—" Chêne yelled.

_SPLAT._

A stray drop of blood splatter landed on Ciel's cheek. _It was still warm_. Ciel stood frozen in the doorway, shocked, as he stared at the horrific scene before him... in the dim light of the darkened room, he could see the _mutilated remains of Mary Kelly._

"You mustn't look!" Sebastian said, covering Ciel's eyes as he pulled the boy back out of the tenement.

"—Ah..." Ciel said, shaking.

"Ciel...!" Chêne said, concerned as she finally caught up to them. "—_!_!" She gasped when she caught a glimpse of the crimson stained room, quickly averting her gaze as she fought to suppress her gag reflex, and managed to swallow down the bile that was rising in her throat.

"—Ah... ah." Ciel groaned, trembling. _"Ugh! Guh...eh!"_ Ciel gagged as he vomited, unable to contain his nausea after seeing such a grotesque scene.

PLIP. PLOP. PLIP.

It started drizzling. Ciel panted, trying to steady his breathing as Sebastian held him, still covering his eyes with one hand. Chêne removed her handkerchief from her pocket, and wiped Ciel's face and mouth. She gently ran her hand through his hair in a soothing manner to help give him something other than what he had just seen to focus on.

"You have made... _quite a mess of things_..." Sebastian said, his slight smirk showed a trace of dark humor as he addressed the killer. Having been caught red-handed, the killer had no choice but to reveal himself. He emerged from the darkness of the room and stepped forward into view. "... 'Jack the Ripper'—or should I say..._Grell Sutcliff." _Sebastian said, smirking as Grell Sutcliff, butler to the Burnett family stared back at them with dull eyes... covered in Mary Kelly's blood.


	36. That Butler, Encounters3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Encounters 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

[speech heard over telephone]

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_You have made... quite a mess of things..." Sebastian said, his slight smirk showed a trace of dark humor as he addressed the killer. Having been caught red-handed, the killer had no choice but to reveal himself. He emerged from the darkness of the room and stepped forward into view. "... 'Jack the Ripper'—or should I say...Grell Sutcliff." Sebastian said, smirking as Grell Sutcliff, butler to the Burnett family stared back at them with dull eyes... covered in Mary Kelly's blood._

* * *

><p>"N-No, this..." Grell stuttered nervously, trembling slightly. "I rushed in because I heard the screams, but she was already..." He explained anxiously as he took a step towards them. Chêne narrowed her eyes slightly and inched a little closer to Sebastian, wary of the bespectacled and bloody butler. Grell might seem pitiful, but there was no excuse he could possible make to explain how he had ended up covered in the victim's blood from head to toe, if all he did was 'rush in.' It looked like he had practically <em>bathed<em> in her blood.

"Already... what?" Sebastian asked cynically as he smirked wryly in twisted amusement at Grell's pathetic excuse. He was still holding Ciel, covering his young master's eyes while the boy tired to recover from his nausea. "We have been keeping an eye on the sole path here all night. How in the world did you manage to enter that room at the end of this blind alley and evade us?" Chêne took a small step forward, glaring a Grell.

"And do you really think anyone would believe such an obvious lie? Even if you did get close to the body to check and see if she was still alive... only your hands, and possibly your knees, would be bloody from touching her, and kneeling on the bloody floor when you had to crouch down to get close to... what's left of her..." Chêne said, paling slightly at the thought. "There's no need to approach the body anyway, since you can tell what state she's in just from looking..." She said, clenching her fist and gritting her teeth. She couldn't forgive him for committing such a despicable act against all of these women. "Enough of this, Mister Grell!"

"—No. Even 'Grell Sutcliff' is just an assumed identity, so... What say you cease your silly act... Mister 'Grell'?" Sebastian said, smirking. "This is my first time meeting 'someone of your ilk' in the human world. You did a superb job of acting like _one of them_."

"Superb..." Grell mumbled, his eyes were cast in shadow behind his round, wire-framed glasses. _"Tee-hee~! Is that sooooo~?"_ Grell asked, suddenly grinning like a deranged clown doll.

"!" Chêne said, startled, when she noticed his pointy, razor sharp, shark-like teeth.

"Hit the nail on the head, you did." Grell praised Sebastian. He pulled on the red ribbon that had been tying back his dark-brown hair.

'This guy... the way he talks—!' Chêne thought, coming to a startling realization.

"_I_ am an actress." Grell said as he pulled a comb out of his coat pocket, and began to run it through his hair, 'combing' the brown out of it, as his once brunette hair changed to a brilliant flaming red. "And a first-rate one at that." He proceeded to put on fake eyelashes and tugged on black leather gloves instead of his usual white ones. "But neither are you 'Sebastian,' yes?"

"The young master gave me that name... So yes, I am 'Sebastian'... _for now._" Sebastian replied, smirking.

"Oh my, his faithful dog, are you? That type of stud makes me weak in the knees too, he does~!" Grell said, grinning as he pushed a pair of more stylish and modern pair of red framed glasses up his nose. They even had a chain with tiny skulls attached to them. "Now then, once again, Sebastian... no... Sebas-chan~!" Grell said flirtatiously as he flipped his red hair over his shoulder. "I am the Butler of the Burnett House... Grell Sutcliff at your service~!" There seemed to be red roses blooming in the background behind him.

"_I knew it...!"_ Chêne muttered, eyes cast in shadow. Sebastian glanced at her out the corner of his eye curiously. He hadn't actually revealed the name of Grell's 'ilk' to them yet, she he was interested to see what Chêne had come up with on her own.

"I've had this feeling for a while now, but... Grell Sutcliff... _you're actually a flaming gay, aren't you!"_ Chêne declared grandly as she pointed her finger at Grell. "I knew someone was 'pining' on my gaydar, but it was so subtle, I thought it might be a fluke... to think that you could even fool my woman's intuition to such a degree... I commend you for your acting skills!" She said seriously. Sebastian nearly face-faulted. _That_ was her 'brilliant' deduction? She looked far too proud for someone who had just made such a ridiculous declaration.

'And what does she mean by 'gay'...?' Sebastian wondered. She obviously did not mean it in its original context, meaning 'happy' or 'bright'.

"Mohh~! I don't know what you're talking about, you flat-chested midget." Grell told Chêne, frowning in confusion.

"_Flat-chested—!_?" Chêne yelled incredulously, turning red in the face, as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. Grell ignored her and glanced at Sebastian, grinning.

"My dearest fellow butler, I am in your hands~! " Grell told Sebastian as he blew the demon a kiss. Sebastian shuddered as a little heart bounced off of him, clearly disturbed.

'I see... so where Chêne comes from 'gay' must mean 'homosexual'...' Sebastian thought, his eye twitching ever so slightly.

'Uwah! He just made _Sebastian_ shudder...!' Chêne thought, surprised and slightly impressed. She hadn't really expected that... was Sebastian homophobic? Personally, Chêne didn't mind gays or lesbians (as long as they stopped messing with her when she said she wasn't interested). In fact, her best friend, Lacey was bi. She just didn't like Grell because he was a serial killer.

"Oooh! I finally get to show you my true colors~!" Grell sang happily.

'Yeah, and they're rainbow...' Chêne thought, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. At least it looked like she didn't have to worry about Grell being any competition for her with Sebastian, what with him being homophobic and all...

"It was utterly mortifying to be seen in front of a stud such as yourself with no makeup on! My hair color was so dreadfully dull too! _Tee-hee~!_" Grell said, giggling, and blushing slightly. "Little old me's never run into a devil posing as a butler before... So, at first, I was just as shocked as shocked can be!"

"Allow me to echo those sentiments, hm? For I too have been living for quite some time, but... I have never heard of 'someone of your ilk' being a 'butler'." Sebastian said. Grell smirked. "One who is supposed to be neutral between God and humans... a _Grim Reaper!"_

"!" Chêne said, surprised. _That_ was a grim reaper_!_?

"Why did you, a 'god' of sorts... become a butler?" Sebastian asked, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion.

"Don't be such a stuffed shirt, sweetie. But... very well... I suppose you could say I fell head over heals for a woman." Grell said, smirking.

"Hah...!" Ciel gasped suddenly.

"And that woman is—" Sebastian asked.

"Why are you pretending not to know, Sebastian? You can come out now, _Madam._" Chêne said, frowning sadly as another figure emerged from the dark recesses of Mary Kelly's tenement.

"That's right, whether you hear him out or not, I think you already know..." Madam Red said coolly as she stepped into view, illuminated by the light of the moon. Ciel's hand twitched. "... Sebastian... and Chêne." She said, gazing stoically at the two servants and her nephew.

"... Madam..." Ciel said, his eyes cast in shadow as he finally removed Sebastian's hand from over his eyes, and stared straight at his aunt. Chêne bit her lip. Sometimes she really hated it when she was right. She had suspected this, but... Chêne had been hoping she was wrong about Madam.

"I miscalculated. I never imagined there would be someone by Ciel's side who could see through Grell's disguise." Madam Red said, smiling wryly.

"... Madam was, of course, on our initial list of suspects. In fact, you fit _perfectly_ into Chêne's profile for the killer... but your alibi was flawless." Ciel said.

"How could you, Ciel? You went as far as to doubt me, your dear aunt?" Madam Red said in mock hurt. "And you, Chêne, to think that you of all people would suggest such a thing... It would seem you are not as foolishly naïve as you pretend to be." Chêne sweat dropped. _What?_ She hadn't been 'pretending' to be anything... Chêne had a feeling she should feel insulted...

"If the possibility of one being Jack exists—kin or acquaintance— it matters not." Ciel said coldly. Sebastian glanced at Ciel out the corner of his eye. "_No human_ on the list of suspects could have committed all the murders. Of course, that includes you, Madam." Ciel glanced at Grell. "But it is a different story with a Reaper as your accomplice. If he can enter Mary's room in an instant without us noticing... he would also be capable of instantly transporting himself over lengthy distances between the West End and the East End. And if a servant were to disappear from the party for a matter of minutes... no one would pay any heed... therefore, only the two of you... can be Jack the Ripper. Madam Red... and... Grell Sutcliff!" Ciel said. "As Chêne suggested, we dug deeper into the backgrounds of the victims of the Jack the Ripper case... and found that they had something else in common on top of 'being prostitutes' and 'missing their wombs.' All of them underwent a 'certain procedure' at the Royal London Hospital, where Madam is employed." Ciel said as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and held it up. There were several names with dates listed next to them on written on it. All of them had been crossed out, except one. "This lists those patients... in the order in which they went under the knife. Only Mary Kelly, who resided in that tenement, was on that list and 'still alive.' I thought you two would show up if I kept watch here. But still... I was unable to save her..." Ciel said solemnly. Chêne bowed her head, regretful that they were unable to save the poor woman... if only they could've warned her somehow...

"How sad, Ciel. My lovely nephew... my elder sister's son..." Madam Red said sadly. "If you hadn't insisted on getting to the bottom of all this, we might've played chess again."

"..." Ciel said as he stared back at her emotionlessly.

"However..." Madam Red said, clenching her fist. _"I WILL NOT YIELD THIS TIME!_!" Madam Red screamed. There was a slightly deranged look in her eye as her tears mingled with the raindrops that were running down her face.

"..._!_?" Ciel said, shocked.

_VWREEEEEEE!_

"_!_!" Chêne cried in surprise when she heard the roar of a chainsaw, and she pulled Ciel to her and shielded him as Sebastian rushed in front of the two of them to block Grell's sudden attack. Sebastian caught the 'blade' of the loud and strange weapon between the palms of his hands.

"_Wha...!_?" Chêne yelled incredulously when she saw the weapon.

VWRR—_VWREEEE!_

Sebastian tried to kick Grell away from them while he held the 'blade,' but Grell managed to dodge the attack by jumping away from them... so technically Sebastian had accomplished his goal of getting Grell away from them, for now.

"Wh—! What is that_!_?" Ciel demanded.

"That is—" Chêne began to explain.

"All Reapers possess a tool for hunting souls. _It is known as... the_ _'Death Scythe'._" Sebastian explained as Chêne pouted at him, miffed that he had cut her off. "Though this is my first time seeing one that looks like that... The 'Death Scythe' is rather troublesome." Sebastian said, running a hand through his hair. Ciel glanced at Sebastian. If _Sebastian_ found it 'troublesome,' then this would be more of a hassled to handle than he had originally thought.

"_Oi."_ Chêne said bluntly, getting their attention. "I don't know much about _'Death Scythes,'_ but that is most definitely a _chainsaw!_!" Chêne yelled incredulously. "I thought you said they hadn't been invented yet_!_? And shouldn't it be a sickle scythe—you know, like the ones they used to use to harvest grain way back when_!_?"

'Oh. So _that's_ a 'chainsaw'...' Ciel and Sebastian thought, sweat dropping... Though, it really _hadn't _been 'invented' yet. Grell giggled as he revved up his chainsaw/Death Scythe again.

"Something as unbecoming as a scythe wouldn't suit me in the least, wouldn't you agree? ... So I customized it to my specifications! A 'Death Scythe' juuust for me, which plays the grandest harmony with the death throes of a soul~!"

'Well... it's true that nothing says 'bad ass' quite like a chainsaw... especially a candy apple-red one.' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

"Of course its sharpness is guaranteed. A tool that only a god like me can wield to chop anyone and anything into itty bitty pieces!" Grell said, smirking evilly at Chêne. She sweat dropped. Why was _that_ particular part aimed at just her...?

"My body's gotten all stiff 'cos I've been a good little Grell this whole time~! Now I sooo want to work up a sweat with Y–O–U–!" Grell cooed seductively (?) at Sebastian as he wiggled his hips. Sebastian's eyebrow twitched.

"Would you mind refraining from suck sickening displays? Furthermore, I am on duty at the present." Sebastian said bluntly, obviously _not_ amused.

"Ahhhn. You're so stoic~! I can't get enough of that side of you either, Sebas-chan~!" Grell sang, emitting little hearts as he waved his chainsaw up and down like a squealing fan girl.

"If that's a 'divine being'... _then I'm the bloody 'Virgin Mary'_..." Chêne deadpanned, chagrined. Chêne was raised a good catholic, and even if she loved a demon, she still held a lot of respect and reverence for God... but if this was really one of his minions, then she might have to re-evaluate her opinion of him a little... Chêne _really_ hoped that God wouldn't smite her for thinking that just now... Sebastian smirked at her in amusement. 'Yep... _I'm doomed_.' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

"Let me tell you a little something, _dearest_." Grell sneered at Chêne. "The color red makes me swoon. I just love red for my hair, clothes, and lipstick. That's why I adore making over ugly women with the red of their blood." He said, leering at her as he revved his chainsaw. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly at Grell and held his arm out in front of her in a protective manner. "My, my, Sebas-chan. Don't tell me you have '_feelings'_ for that skinny brat! No matter, the more glamorous the woman, the more alluring she becomes, just like a beautiful, poisonous flower, right? And I bet a fine stud like you fitted up in rose colors will be the absolute best!" Grell told Sebastian, smirking darkly. "I'll cut you open deep, splatter you with the many shades of crimson... and mess you up most glamorously, Sebas-chan!"

"A Reaper is one who quietly hunts the souls of the dying. A butler is one who accompanies his master like a shadow. Your poor taste goes against the aesthetics of both... and fair raises my bile." Sebastian said coldly.

"I worked hard as a butler for my master! I didn't wear makeup or dress pretty or anything when I was at work!" Grell protested, pouting.

"I am appalled... How can you call yourself a butler?" Sebastian said, sighing. His disapproval of Grell's behavior was clearly written all over his face. Grell grinned.

"_Even so, I am still a butler... for death~!_" Grell said, licking his lips and striking a rocker pose. Ciel decided he had heard enough useless prattle.

"—In the name of the Queen and mine own evil title..." Ciel said, removing his eye patch. "... I command you! _Hunt them down!_" Ciel ordered Sebastian. Sebastian bit the cuff of his glove and tugged it more snugly on his hand with his teeth. His face was partially cast in shadow as he stared at his new prey, his crimson eyes glowing, like burning embers.

"_**Yes, my Lord."**_ Sebastian said, smirking.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I considered calling the Grim Reapers 'Shinigami,' but since this is set in Victorian England, I thought I'd go with the English name... but I stuck with 'Sebas-chan' since that's my favorite version of Grell's nickname for Sebastian! (XD) We'll get to see the ultimate show down between reaper and demon in the next few chaps~!


	37. That Butler, Reflective

**Author's note**_**: **_I realized that I accidentally made Chene 19 in some of the previous chapters, so I'll go back and fix that... because she's still supposed to be 18 at this point. (¬_¬;) Also..._  
>[For the purposes of this chapter, the cinematic record happeningsmemories will be written like this.]_

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Reflective<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"—_In the name of the Queen and mine own evil title..." Ciel said, removing his eye patch. "... I command you! Hunt them down!" Ciel ordered Sebastian. Sebastian bit the cuff of his glove and tugged it more snugly on his hand with his teeth. His face was partially cast in shadow as he stared at his new prey, his crimson eyes glowing, like burning embers._

"_**Yes, my Lord."**__ Sebastian said, smirking._

* * *

><p><em>[I despised my red hair, which was just like my father's. And I loathed the color red.<em>

"_An's red hair is really beautiful. The color of red lycoris, a color that blazes the earth. Red really suits you."_

_I began to love the color red because you complimented me. But... But...]_

* * *

><p>SNAP. FLAP.<p>

"Right, then." Sebastian said calmly, removing his black overcoat. He plopped it straight down over Ciel's head.

"_!_?" Chêne said, slightly surprised by the sudden movement. She hadn't been expecting that when Sebastian had looked so eager to fight, but she was glad he did it. They were all standing out in the cold, while it was raining, and getting soaked to the bone. At least Ciel would be wet and warm now, instead of wet and cold...

"Wha—_!_?" Ciel said indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. What the heck was Sebastian doing all of a sudden_!_?

"Please do not catch a chill. You would not want to be scolded by Chêne later for being so careless of your health now, would you? I will prepare some hot milk when we have returned to the town house, and I shall sweeten it with honey or brandy or something of the sort." Sebastian said, smiling at Ciel and Chêne as he wrapped the coat around Ciel. Chêne sweat dropped. Just how many times was she going to have to remind him that human children under a certain age shouldn't have alcohol, because it affects their physical and mental development... Ciel could possibly even become an alcoholic.

'Although... I have a feeling I'm going to want both a little honey _and_ brandy in mine by the end of tonight...' She thought, sweat dropping, as she smiled wryly and wrapped her arms around Ciel, hoping they could share each other's warmth.

"He's right, you know? We both get sick easily." Chêne said.

"..." Ciel said as he allowed Chêne to hold him, and he gripped Sebastian's coat.

"Ohhh? I'm not going to let you go running home just like that, you know_!_?" Grell said, smirking as he revved up his scythe again. He was tired of being ignored. "Little Death Scythe here and I are both full of soooo much pent up energy these days 'cos our quarry has been much too easy to..._hunt!" _he yelled as he leapt high up into the air above them.

"_!_!" Ciel and Chêne said, surprised. They suddenly felt themselves being shoved away by Sebastian as he jumped back, and they gritted their teeth when they hit the ground. In that instant, Grell slammed down his Death Scythe, just barely missing them. Chêne's eyes widened in shock as she watched the Death Scythe's spinning blade _cut the street's cobblestones._ _It was actually shredding stone to pieces!_

'_Holy shi—take mushroom!_? That is _not_ normal_!_!' Chêne screamed internally, turning blue with shock. There was no way a normal chainsaw could do _that_! Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed Chêne's reaction. It was obvious from her reaction that although the two weapons looked alike, there was just no comparison between their cutting power.

"_I much prefer doing the chasing myself to being chased, Sebas-chan!"_ Grell yelled, grinning maniacally, as he pulled his Scythe out of the ground and did a rocker sign with his free hand. _"So let's have ourselves a marvelous round of tag, shall we!_?" He shouted as he charged towards Sebastian.

"I have asked you before... to refrain from uttering such vile... drivel!" Sebastian said as he did a back flip to avoid Grell's attack.

"Don't be like that! You'll get hooked on my little one once you've had a taste... _I'm sure~!"_ Grell said, smirking evilly as he immediately swung at Sebastian again. Sebastian grabbed a nearby lamppost and instantly ripped it out of the ground, holding it up to block Grell's blow.

_GYRARARARA!_

Grell's chainsaw squealed when it hit the lamppost.

"!" Chêne gasped in surprise. She knew Sebastian was strong, but that was just _ridiculous_. Who just rips an iron lamppost out of the ground like it's a freakin' toothpick_!_? Sebastian was a beast!

"Ooh~! You don't look it, but you're pretty powerful, Sebas-chan! That warms my cockles too, that it does~!" Grell said, grinning. Sebastian furrowed his brow, and Chêne sweat dropped.

_'WTF...?'_ Chêne thought. She hoped that didn't mean what she thought it did...

"However..." Grell said, smirking. Chêne's eyes narrowed slightly. There was something odd about the way the Scythe was cutting the lamppost... wait sec—_!_? It _was cutting!_!

"_Sebastian, get ba—_"Chêne yelled.

"—The real show begins now!" Shouted as the roar of his Scythe drowned out Chêne's voice. "The Death Scythe... can cut through a gas lamp... _like a twig!"_ Grell declared haughtily as he suddenly sliced through the iron lamppost like it was melted butter. He managed to graze Sebastian's arm as well. Sebastian's eyes widened in shock. He was frozen, stunned, as he watched his spill from the cut, and it transformed into what looked like rolls of film.

"Wha..." Sebastian said, too stunned to react properly, as he watched the scenes unfolding before his eyes.

_["From this day forth... you are my faithful dog." A ten-year-old Ciel commanded as he stared up at him with cold eyes. There was blood on Ciel's hand... the blood of the dead cult members.] _This was from the day 'Sebastian' had been accidentally summoned by Ciel, and he met his small new master... and Chêne.

'This... is...—' Sebastian thought, shocked as various scenes from his current life as 'Sebastian Michaelis' flashed before his eyes.

_["You know, you're gonna need a last name, too, if you want to fit in as a human..." Chêne said thoughtfully._

"_Hmph. Whatever is fine." Ciel said indifferently, not the least bit interested._

"_Then... How about 'Michaelis'? Yeah, Sebastian Michaelis!" Chêne said triumphantly, smiling at Sebastian._

"_Why that name?" Sebastian asked curiously, although, after hearing Ciel's reason for naming him 'Sebastian'... he wasn't sure he really wanted to know._

"_Because it'll be funny since it's ironic... but at the same time, it still sounds dignified, right?" Chêne said, glancing at Ciel for support._

"_How is it ironic?" Ciel asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. Chêne grinned impishly._

"_Because, it sounds the same as 'Sebastien Michaelis,' a human who wrote a classification for the demons in Hell." Chêne told them, smiling brightly.]_

There were a few scenes of the other servants' mishaps, Ciel conducting business, and then...

_["Sebastian!" Chêne yelled as she ran up to him, miffed.] _She looked rather adorable when she pouted like that... like a petulant kitten.

_["Sebastian!" Chêne called out to him, smiling as her eyes shined with excitement. "Look, look! Sebas—"]_

"Sebastian_!_!" Chêne screamed, terrified.

"Ha!" Sebastian gasped when he heard her scream, snapping out of his trance.

Sebastian whipped his head around to look in the direction her scream had come from. She and Ciel were both sitting on the ground where he had last seen them. Chêne looked scared, but other than that, she appeared to be perfectly fine, and she looked just as shocked as he felt by what they had just seen. Ciel looked confused, as though he had no idea why they were freaking out.

"Se-Sebastian... are you all right_!_? What _was_ that..._!_?" Chêne asked anxiously.

"—How was it for you, hm? The pain you felt must've been rather dramatic, no?" Grell asked Sebastian, leering at the demon butler as he licked his lips. "That just now was a little talent we Reapers have... the 'Cinematic Record'."

"Cinematic... Record...?" Chêne asked, eyes widening.

"Yes~! Grim Reapers receive a list of those who are scheduled to die and judge them by playing back their memories using the 'record.' We look at what sort of humans they were... and what sort of lives they lived. Should we allow them to live? Or should we kill them?" Grell explained, smirking. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly at Grell. "People say a magic lantern passes before their eyes when they are on the verge of death... but that's just Reapers like lil' ole me playing back that human's 'memories.' For those who receive the judgment... 'This human should die'... We use our Death Scythes to sever their memories and soul from their bodies, and for them, it is _'the end.'_ Although... most _humans_ cannot 'see' another's Cinematic Record like that. Sometimes a contractor, like that brat, might be able to catch a glimpse here and there, but to be able to see the whole thing so clearly should be near impossible..." Grell said thoughtfully as he glanced at Chêne. "Perhaps I should cut you open and see what makes you tick~!" He leered at her. She took a step back, putting Ciel behind her, just in case Grell decided to do a 'two for one' special.

"What are you—_!_?" Ciel said indignantly, wondering what the bloody hell they were going on about.

"I had assumed you were only guilty of poor taste, but..." Sebastian said coldly, drawing Grell's attention back on him. "... A Peeping Tom as well, are you? Truly the lowest of the low."

"Non, Non! That is our job! But..." Grell sang as he suddenly rushed at Sebastian again. "Yes, all right! I admit, I am a wee bit curious... about what lurks in the past of fine men such as yourself!" Sebastian dodged the attack and spun around, but... Grell was gone... "Especially..." Grell said, teleporting right behind the demon butler.

"!" Sebastian said, surprised, as he turned to face the Reaper.

"_... When they seem to be the bad boy type!_!" Grell yelled, swinging his Scythe down at Sebastian. Sebastian managed to stop the blade by clapping his hands against both sides of 'guide bar' of the 'chainsaw' and pressed, holding it so as to not get his fingers sliced off. However... holding it that way made it significantly more difficult to get the leverage he needed to be able to force Grell back completely. "_... Tee-hee-hee-!" _Grell giggled maniacally as he forced Sebastian back up against one of the alley's brick walls. "You can't _play make-believe_ with yours truly like you can do with humans, Sebas-chan." Grell said as he started to push his Scythe's cutting edge further down, digging into the brick wall, as he tried to get it closer to Sebastian. "The Death Scythe can slice right through... memories... souls... dimensions..." Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he glared dangerously at Grell. If Chêne had heard that... _there would be nothing to stop her from leaving. _He turned his head slightly, trying to catch a glimpse to see whether she had indeed heard Grell or not. "... and even devils!" Grell shouted gleefully as he took advantage of Sebastian's moment of weakness, and cut the demon butler.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I added two new links for pics to my profile. One is of Chene's parents, and another is of her Halloween costume (that I _will_ be writing into one of the future chapters! ;D)


	38. That Butler, Reflective2

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Reflective<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_... Tee-hee-hee-!" Grell giggled maniacally as he forced Sebastian back up against one of the alley's brick walls. "You can't play make-believe with yours truly like you can do with humans, Sebas-chan." Grell said as he started to push his Scythe's cutting edge further down, digging into the brick wall, as he tried to get it closer to Sebastian. "The Death Scythe can slice right through... memories... souls... dimensions..." _

_Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he glared dangerously at Grell. If Chêne had heard that... there would be nothing to stop her from leaving. He turned his head slightly, trying to catch a glimpse to see whether she had indeed heard Grell or not. _

_"... and even devils!" Grell shouted gleefully as he took advantage of Sebastian's moment of weakness, and cut him._

* * *

><p>Grell's Scythe grazed Sebastian's shoulder and cut about a millimeter deep, but Sebastian tightened his grip on the Scythe, and stopped it from cutting him any further. However, Sebastian now knew he at least didn't have to worry about Chêne over hearing his conversation with Grell. They were currently having their own confrontation with Madam Red.<p>

"Why...?" Ciel asked Madam Red as he and Chêne stood to face the other half of Jack the Ripper. They couldn't do anything to help Sebastian, and they knew that any interference on their part would only distract him and make things more difficult.

"Why? What is the point of asking me now? When we have already become... the 'watchdog' and its 'prey'." Madam Red said cynically as she slowly approached them. Chêne tensed, getting ready to act if needed.

Chêne didn't actually have a weapon on her, since she only learned how to fight hand-to-hand from her father. He had told her once that carrying a weapon you can't use properly could actually be more dangerous than not having one at all, since you possibly injure yourself, or your attacker could easily take from you, and use it to hurt you instead... besides, Madam Red also appeared to be unarmed.

"If I don't hunt the watchdog, I will be hunted. In which case... _there is only one way out!_!" Madam Red yelled as she suddenly drew a knife from her sleeve and lunged at Ciel, who seemed to be too shocked to react.

"_!_?" Chêne gasped, her eyes widened in horror as she realized that when she had moved Ciel behind her to hide him from Grell, she had accidentally moved him closer to Madam Red, and _he _was in front of _her_ now. _"Ciel—!"_ Chêne screamed as she ran.

_STAB!_

"_...!"_ Ciel cried in alarm when he realized what had just happened. At the very last moment, Chêne had thrown herself at Ciel, shoving him out the way, but she wasn't quick enough to get herself out of the way in time to avoid being stabbed... _Madam Red's knife was now piercing Chêne's stomach._

"!" Sebastian said, gritting his teeth as he watched, unable to move from his position. He still had his hands full trying to keep himself from being cut down by Grell. "_Ugh—!"_ Chêne grunted in pain as she elbowed Madam Red in the chest, causing the older woman to stumble back, and pull the knife out of Chêne's stomach. Chêne winced in pain as she held her hand over her wound, trying to apply enough pressure to stop the bleeding.

"Chêne!" Ciel yelled, concerned.

"I'll be fine... It hurts like hell, but... I'll be fine." Chêne reassured him, smiling wryly through her pain. She didn't want Ciel to be too distracted when he was dealing with Madam Red. He needed to have his wits about him. "I've survived being struck by lightening before, remember? I'm too stubborn to just keel over from something like a little prick in the stomach." She joked. Ciel gave her one last look before turning back to face Madam Red, clenching his fist.

"Madam. You are a physician. Why would you kill—_!_?" Ciel demanded angrily.

"A brat like you will never understand_!_!" Madam Red screamed as she lunged at Ciel and pinned him to the wall, holding him by his neck with one hand. "Not ever_!_!"

"Ciel—ugh_!_!" Chêne cried, grunting in pain when she tried to move. Her wound was worse than she had initially thought, and she couldn't get her body to cooperate and _move_.

"Ka-hah!" Ciel coughed as Madam Red choked him.

"I wish you... that someone like you—!" Madam Red said darkly, shaking slightly as she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand.

"..." Sebastian said, furrowing his brow, and gritting his teeth in frustration as he could only watch from where he was pinned against the wall. Ciel's right hand twitched to his side.

"Madam, please stop! That's _Ciel_ you're hurting, _your nephew!"_ Chêne begged anxiously, struggling to stand, at the same time Madam Red yelled.

"_That someone like you... had never been born!_!" Madam Red screamed, her face was twisted in deranged agony as she raised the knife to stab Ciel, not hearing Chêne until it was too late.

"_Noooo!" _Chêne screamed as she forced her self to move in a desperate attempt to save Ciel. Madam Red was about to stab Ciel when she saw his frightened face.

'Sister...' Madam Red thought sadly as an image of her elder sister, Ciel's mother replaced his face in her mind. Chêne rushed forward, shielding Ciel once again. She figured she'd been stabbed once already anyway...

"_Young Master! Chêne!"_ Sebastian yelled anxiously as his pupils turned to slits and glowed, and his canine teeth elongated slightly into fangs as he lunged forward. His human form was slipping in his desperation reach them in time. Chêne was such a fool! One stab wound might not be lethal, but two...

_SPLAT!_

Crimson blood splattered all over the wall, but that didn't stop Sebastian. He instantly appeared behind Madam Red, he had partially reverted back to his demonic form, and there was a terrible murderous gleam in his glowing red eyes as he loomed over Madam Red, and reached for the distraught woman. _He was out for blood_.

"Stop_!_! Sebastian_!_!" Ciel yelled. Madam Red was no longer trying to hurt them, instead she was crying as she held her face in her hands. "Don't kill her_!_!" Ciel ordered, causing the demon to freeze. He was only a centimeter away from Madam Red's head. Sebastian took a step back, fully reverting back to his human form. He was breathing heavily, his crimson eyes cast in shadow, as he clutched his bleeding right shoulder with his left hand. Ciel and Chêne stared at him, shocked to see him in such a state.

"... Sebastian...?" Ciel said, stunned. The wound on Sebastian's arm looked deep, like the only thing keeping his arm still attached to his shoulder was the hand that he was using to hold it with. He looked like a wild and dangerous wounded animal.

"S-Sebastian... your arm...?" Chêne asked nervously as she took a cautious step towards him. She knew Madam Red wouldn't hurt Ciel, so he was safe for now... It still hurt to move with her wound though, and she was starting to have a little trouble breathing. "... Let me help you...please?" Chêne asked Sebastian as she removed her hat and unwrapped the scarf she had used to hold her hair up, like a mini turban.

Sebastian let her approach him, and the demon watched silently as Chêne wrapped his arm with her scarf, helping to slow the bleeding and hold it in place better. He caught a glimpse of her wound now that she was no longer holding her side, and her coat fell open. Sebastian could see that her waistcoat had already been practically dyed red by her own blood. It surprised him that she could still move with a wound like that... humans were awfully fragile, and he knew Chêne could possibly die if she lost too much blood... _he should wrap this up quickly_.

"Tee-hee~! Why Sebas-chan! You've got guts~!" Grell sang in approval as he leaned against his Scythe. It was still stuck in the wall... Sebastian's blood was splattered all over it and the Scythe. "To think you would sacrifice an arm... to go rescue those brats." Grell said, grinning, his voice full of approval. "But you are a whole different story... Madam_!_!" Grell said harshly as he pulled his scythe free from the wall, and walked towards them. Madam Red flinched. Chêne's eyes widened slightly.

'She's scared of him...' Chêne thought. Maybe she hadn't been acting as freely as they thought... on the other hand, she'd be nervous too if a chainsaw wielding psycho was turning on her.

"You just go and kill that brat now, you hear_!_?" Grell said forcefully.

"No..." Madame Red mumbled, quivering as she bit her lip.

"Hunh?" Grell asked, sneering at her. Did she just say _'no'_ to him?

"I cannot... I cannot kill this child...!" Madam Red cried, holding her hands to her chest as tears streamed down her face.

"How can you say that now_!_? After you've chopped up all those women!" Grell demanded incredulously. "If you don't kill him, he'll kill you instead! And after _I've_ gone to all the trouble of assisting you!"

"But..." Madam Red protested shakily. "But_!_! This child is my—!" She yelled, turning to Grell.

_Shnk!_

Ciel, Chêne, and Sebastian stared, shocked. Grell had just stabbed Madam Red through the heart with his Death Scythe. There was not an once of hesitation in the Reaper.

"_I'm so disappointed in you... Madam Red."_ Grell said bluntly, sneering as he ripped his Scythe forcefully from her chest, tossing Madam Red's body away, as though she were nothing. "I can't say I care a shred for... this plain woman you've become."

Ciel and Chêne stared, horrified, as Madam red's blood flowed from her wound and transformed into reels of film.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I was going to do Madam Red's whole Cinematic Record in the next chapter, but I was wondering just how much of it you guys wanted me to writ about it. Should I do the whole thing or just give a quick summary and move on? Personally, I liked Madam Red before she tried to kill Ciel, and I think she had one of the best character deaths...


	39. That Butler, Reflective3

**Author's note:** For the purposes of this chapter, the start and end of the cinematic record happenings/memories will be labeled, and Madam Red's 'narration' of it will be _[bracketed and italicized like this.]_

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Reflective 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_Ciel, Chêne, and Sebastian stared, shocked. Grell had just stabbed Madam Red through the heart with his Death Scythe. There was not an once of hesitation in the Reaper._ "_I'm so disappointed in you... Madam Red." Grell said bluntly, sneering as he ripped his Scythe forcefully from her chest, tossing Madam Red's body away, as though she were nothing. "I can't say I care a shred for... this plain woman you've become." Ciel and Chêne stared, horrified, as Madam red's blood flowed from her wound and transformed into reels of film._

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><p>∞—<em>Madam Red's Cinematic Record—∞<em>

"... N..." they heard a young woman's voice call out something muffled. "An! Angeliiina!" The voice was clearer now. A young Madam Red, who didn't look much older than Ciel's current age came into view. The cute, redheaded, and freckle-faced girl looked up from the book she had been reading, and turned to face the speaker. She was sitting in a gazebo.

"Sister." Angelina said as a beautiful young, blonde, blue-eyed woman walked up to her.

=†=†=†=†=

Chêne's eyes widened in shock. She recognized the blonde woman from the portraits in the manor... _This was Rachel Phantomhive, Ciel's mother!_

=†=†=†=†=

Rachel smiled at her younger sister.

"In here again, I see. Father is calling for you." Rachel told her as she took Angelina's hand. "He has a guest he wishes to introduce us to. We mustn't keep him waiting. She started to lead her younger sister back inside.

"_Eh!_? But I'm dressed like this..." Angelina said nervously. Rachel was wearing a very pretty day dress, but Angelina was only wearing a rather simple one. "And I haven't powdered my nose_!_!" She said anxiously, unlike her sister Rachel, Angelina had freckles that she wanted to hide. Rachel turned around and glanced at her cute little sister.

SCURRY. PAT. TIE.

"S—! Sister?" Angelina said, surprised when Rachel suddenly starting brushing the dust off of her, straitening her dress, and combing through her read hair with her fingers. There was a determined gleam in Rachel's eyes as she fixed her sister up really quick.

"There, all done!" Rachel said as she took the flower she was wearing in her blonde hair, and tucked it into Angelina's, satisfied with her handiwork. "You look positively charming. You'll be fine!" She said, smiling and winking playfully at Angelina. "Were you reading again?" She asked curiously as they walked back to their house.

"Yes. I want to study to become a doctor. I want to find a cure for your asthma, sister. I'm unattractive, and I feel out of place at balls, so I may not be able to marry..." Angelina said timidly.

"What _are_ you saying_!_?" Rachel asked, appalled. "An is lovely and smart. You should have more confidence in yourself." Rachel said proudly, smiling affectionately at her cute little sister. "And let's not forget... _You're awfully well-endoooowed~!_ I'm so envious! Wee! Hee! Hee! Like ripe peaches they are!" She said, grinning mischievously as she groped Angelina's chest. She did have a rather large bosom, especially for such a young girl...

"Gyah! _Sister!_?" Angelina yelled, flinching and turning blue with shock as her normally well-mannered sister grabbed her boobs. The two sisters started laughing at Rachel's silly behavior.

_[My elder sister's health was fragile, but she was kind and beautiful, and did not put on airs, and I loved her. I loved and envied her soft flaxen hair, which was just like our mother's. I met 'Him' when I was fifteen.]_

"Rachel, Angelina. Give you greetings to Earl Phantomhive." Their father said when they entered the room that he and their guest had been waiting in. Rachel stared at their guest, surprised. He was a handsome young man. He looked about her elder sister's age, and he had beautiful slate, grey-ish blue, colored hair.

"How do you do?" He greeted them, smiling handsomely. Angelina blushed lightly.

_[I despised my red hair, which was just like my father's. And I loathed the color red.]_

"Why do you keep your hair so long in front?" Earl Phantomhive asked Angelina curiously when he came by for another visit.

"I am no beauty like my elder sister, so..." Angelina said shyly. "And my hair is this red as well..."

"You oughtn't be so 'ashamed' of being different from others. It gives you character. An's hair is really beautiful. The color of lycoris, a color that blazes the earth." Earl Phantomhive told her. _"Red really suits you... and you should take more pride in it."_ He said, smiling kindly. An looked away shyly as she blushed, embarrassed to receive such praise form such a handsome man.

_[And then, I... cut off my bangs. I grew to love my red hair, which was just like father's. And I grew to love the color red. And I grew to love 'Him.']_

"My Lady. Earl Phantomhive is here." One of the servants announced.

"Comiiing!" Angelina said excitedly as her maid put the finishing touches on her dress. Angelina smiled as she powdered her nose. 'Will he compliment me again, I wonder?' Madam Red thought happily as she made her way to the sitting room.

_[When 'He' visited, I wore the red that he had said suited me.]_

"Aah, You're finally here. An. We have some good news for you!" Rachel said excitedly as she and Earl Phantomhive held hands and smiled happily at each other.

_[The 'man' I loved dearly was going to marry the elder sister I loved dearly. I wore my favorite red dress to their wedding. If the two I cherished were so happy... Then I too was happy.]_

"_Waah! Waah!" _A newborn infant cried. It was Ciel. Rachel had just finished giving birth to him.

"Madam! It is a fine baby boy!" The head nurse announced happily.

"I'm glad... that he was born to us." Rachel said happily, crying tears of joy as she held her baby boy in her arms. "An. You hold him. He's your nephew." She said, smiling at her younger sister. Angelina carefully held Ciel in her arms.

"He's so precious..." An said, blushing slightly at Ciel's cuteness.

_[My beloved and my beloved big sister's—]_

"When he grows up, please play with him a lot." Rachel asked.

"Of course!" Angelina said.

"Heh Heh! Your nose is just like His!" Rachel told Ciel happily, unaware of Angelina's feelings.

_STAB!_

Angelina paled in shock at her sister's words. She felt like she had been stabbed right in the heart.

_[I began to despise... the color red once more—  
>After that, I started attending the many social events that I had once hated. I flitted from one ball to another, wearing gorgeous makeup and bright red dresses. And soon people began calling me Lady Red.<br>But I also threw myself into my studies and... against my parents' wishes, obtained my license to practice medicine.]_

"Auntie An, read me a story!" Ciel asked Madam Red excitedly.

"Read Meee!" Elizabeth parroted Ciel, smiling brightly.

"_Heyyyyy!_! Ciel! Lizzie_!_! What have I told you about calling me 'aunt'_!_? Call me 'big sister'!" Madam Red scolded them, vein mark throbbing on her head as she practically breathed fire at the two mischievous children as they giggled and ran off to play with Ciel's dog, 'Sebastian.'

"I feel a little guilty for always having you play with them." Rachel said, smiling wryly. She wasn't supposed to overexert herself, in case it triggered an asthma attack.

"I don't mind!" Madam Red said, smiling. "I like Children, and—"

"Ah! It's father!" Ciel yelled excitedly as Earl Phantomhive walked up to stand beside his wife.

"_Welcome home!"_ Rachel and the two children greeted him, smiling happily. Madam Red stayed where she was, alone, despite being so close to her loved ones.

"I thought I'd play with the children since the weather is so fine. I left the rest to Tanaka, so..." Earl Phantomhive said, smiling as he lifted Ciel high up in the air, and the boy laughed excitedly.

_[My warm and loving sister and her husband. My adorable nephew and his cousin. The people who I held most dear.] _

Madam Red tucked her hair behind her ear as she stared wistfully at the Earl of Phantomhive_._

_[But... somewhere within me, there was always... an emotion I could not let go...  
>And so I married a man I met at a ball. I said to him 'there is a man I cannot forget'... but in return, he said, 'I don't mind.' He was a sincere and honest man. And then I too found myself with child.]<em>

"Is it a boy? Is it a girl?" Her husband asked, smiling happily as he hugged Madam Red and leaned his head against her enlarged womb, listening to the baby's movements.

"Hee-Hee! Men are so impatient. We don't know yet." Madam Red said, smiling wryly.

_[He cherished me—and I was happy.]_

RATTLE. RATTLE. _CRASH!_

"A runaway carriage just slammed into slammed into someone! Call for a doctor!" A man yelled.

Madam Red woke up in a hospital.

"Your husband died upon impact. You suffered an internal hemorrhage, so we surgically removed your womb, together with your child. It was the only way to save your life..." The doctor informed her as Madam Red stared numbly at him, too broken to even react.

_[—Or so I should have been.]_

"An, how awful... How simply awful...!" Rachel cried. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged Madam Red.

_[My sister often visited the hospital... to cheer me up.]_

"An! I heard from the doctor! They say you'll be able to leave the hospital soon?" Rachel asked excitedly. She was so relieved her sister was getting better.

"Thanks to you." Madam Red said, smiling wryly.

"We must celebrate, then!" Rachel said excitedly. "I know! My son will be celebrating his tenth birthday soon. Why don't we celebrate your recovery together then too_!_?"

"B-But..." Madam red said hesitantly.

"Don't worry~! The correct way to celebrate a recovery is to drink and be merry with lots of people_!_! Gah! Ha! Ha! The liquor will taste that much better when you're free!" Rachel said, grinning as she patted Madam Red enthusiastically on the back.

_[And then... that day arrived.]_

'In the end, I could not refuse..." Madam Red thought, sighing, as she gazed out the window of her carriage.

_[In truth, I had no desire to go... For I... I...]_

_SCREEECH._

"_!_?" Madam Red said, surprised when her carriage came to a sudden halt. She opened the door, and leaned out to talk to her driver. "Why the sudden stop?" She asked.

"_M-Madam. Th-There_..._!_!" The coachman said, horrified as he pointed ahead to the Phantomhive manor. Madam Red gasped, horrified by what she saw. She jumped down from the carriage and ran a little closer to the manor. She stared at it, her eyes wide with shock and dread. The manor entire manor was being engulfed in a flaming inferno.

_[The color... that dyed that grey December sky... was that most hateful... RED—]_

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I decided to split this into two parts, like it was in the manga because it's sooooo long. (^_^;) So the next chap will be the other half of her Cinematic record, and hopefully a little more action!


	40. That Butler, Retrospective

**Author's note: **For the purposes of this chapter, the start and end of the cinematic record happenings/memories will be labeled, and Madam Red's 'narration' of it will be _[bracketed and italicized like this.]_

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Retrospective<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_M-Madam. Th-There...!" The coachman said, horrified as he pointed ahead to the Phantomhive manor. Madam Red gasped, horrified by what she saw. She jumped down from the carriage and ran a little closer to the manor. She stared at it, her eyes wide with shock and dread. The manor entire manor was being engulfed in a flaming inferno._

_[The color... that dyed that grey December sky... was that most hateful... RED—]_

* * *

><p>"Sister<em>!<em>! Brother_!_!_!_" Madam Red screamed in horror as she watched the manor be come devoured by flames.

_[That day... each and every Phantomhive lost their lives at the hands of some unknown individual. The manor was burnt to the ground—  
>My sister and her husband were discovered in a terrible state.<br>A child's corpse was never recovered.  
>—I lost everything that was precious to me. Everything had flown somewhere out of my reach.]<em>

Madam Red watched numbly with dull, emotionless eyes as her loved ones were buried.

_[I was sad. So sad—  
>but even more so did I envy my elder sister... for being able to die with 'Him,' my beloved.<br>And I continued to live on... as the sole survivor.]_

"Doctor_!_! Should you be back at work so soon?" One of the hospital nurses asked her, concerned.

"I'm all right! Work helps me take my mind off of other things... It's miles better than staying home, doing nothing." Madam Red reassured her, forcing a wry smile. "Besides, I'm due in surgery this afternoon."

_[Yet...]_

" 'Em brats jus' get in th' way. I dunno 'oo th' father is, and I can't raise th' thing on me own. An abortion ain't free neither, but I can't get no coves wi' a chavy round!" The low class woman, who was supposed to be her patient, said carelessly. Madam Red stared at her. It wasn't a '_thing'_ it was a baby...! Did this woman know what she was throwing away_!_?

_[I hated them.  
>They had something I could never have, regardless of how much I desired it.]<em>

SHAAA.

Madam Red was rinsing her hands off after the surgery.

_[What I wanted. What I cherished. I, who had lost it all... and those whores who possessed what I wanted more than anything... but were throwing it away... What had I done to deserve that?]_

The mirror hanging on the wall over the sink reflected the dark, deranged look in Madam Red's eyes. _She had snapped._

_[Why did God make me suffer so? I only... only—]_

The prostitute that had come in for surgery bid goodnight to her customer, and started walking down the alleyway that led to her home. Just as she was about to open her door, she heard someone walk up behind her.

"... Oh? Yer the' one from afore..." The prostitute said when she saw who it was. Madam Red pulled out her knife and charged at the woman. "Wh—What d'you think yer doin'... No...Sto..." The woman screamed, terrified as Madam Red attacked her.

_[HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE!_!_]_

There was a crazed look in Madam Red's eyes as her victim's blood splattered onto her face.

_[And so I cut them into little pieces, the prostitutes an whom I performed the abortions. I will do away with that which you do not desire, if you so wish... I will take away your womb, your happiness, your life—Everything.]_

There were more scenes of Madam Red killing her victims.

_[Then...]_

Madam Red was in the middle of dismembering her latest victim when someone called out to her. She was covered in blood again...

"Oh... my, myyyyy~! You've done such a glamorous job~!" Madam Red turned to look in the direction the voice was coming from. Her eyes widened in shock. There was the silhouette of a long hair man standing casually on top of one of the church spires. "I've had my eye on you all this time~!"

_[... A crimson-cloaked Grim Reaper smiled upon me.]_

"Thanks to you, the list of the dead for this district is jam-packed! You've made me ever so busy, you see." His face was illuminated by the light of the moon... the mysterious figure was Grell. Madam Red stared at him, stunned, as Grell leaped from the Church's rooftop, and landed lightly on the ground beside her. "But I understand veeery well how you feel. Those hideous broads deserved to die." He said as he embraced her and stroked her red hair. "I want a baby of my own too, but it seems that my being male is a biiit of a problem. You and I, were like two peas in a pod. _I... will lend you a hand._" He told her, grinning deviously.

_[I... cut my red hair, which was caked with blood.  
>—A few months later, my missing nephew suddenly returned...]<em>

"Ciel! Is it really you, Ciel_!_?" Madam Red asked anxiously as she burst into the room. "So you were alive all along_!_!" She cried in relief when she saw Ciel. He was battered and bruised, and he was wearing a bandage over his eye, but he was alive... however... he wasn't alone. Standing beside the chair Ciel was seated in, was a handsome butler with raven hair and eyes that seemed to be crimson in the warm sunlight. Beside him was a cute brunette girl, who had light green eyes, and a few light freckles scattered across her nose. It was Chêne and Sebastian. The girl seemed to take notice of her surprise and apprehension at seeing the two of them with Ciel, and she smiled kindly at Madam Red. Madam Red's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

_[He returned... with a black-clad butler... and a maid with a warm and gentle smile that so resembled my deceased sister's at his side. No matter how many times I asked my nephew about what had happened while he was missing, he would not tell me a thing. But that was all right because Ciel had returned.]_

"I'm so glad...! At least you survived... Come, let me get a better look at you." Madam Red said, relieved. She reached out and gently cradled Ciel's face in her hands.

_[The only one who had returned... my beloved—_

'_He,' my beloved... and my sister's child... The child who looks so very much like her.]_

Madam Red felt like she'd been stabbed in the heart again.

_[I should have been happy that Ciel returned to me... but a sense of unease weighed on my heart. Why did this child return, when 'He' did not? Why did this child live, while 'He' died? 'His Child' was not 'Him.' That boy was the son of the elder sister who took 'him' away from me— ... Why had I not been the one to marry 'Him'? And... Ciel who had succeeded 'Him,' Finally came to capture 'Jack the Ripper'... With that face that so resembled that of my sister.  
>Sister... what more are you going to take away from me?]<em>

Madam Red now stood beside Grell as they faced Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne in front of Mary Kelly's tenement... just like they had been a few minutes ago...

_[This time... I will not yield a thing to you...]_

"_I will not yield anything!_!" Madam Red Screamed as tears streamed down her face.

∞—End Madam Red's Cinematic Record—∞

"I loved you dyed in the deepest crimson of spattered blood... Madam Red_!_!" Grell said with distaste as they all watched Madam Red's lifeless and bloody body fall to the ground. "I haven't the least interest in someone... who gets carried away by silly emotions. I helped you set up your alibi too. And I even broke the rules that govern us Reapers, killing women not on the list, all for your sake... _What a let down~!"_ He said, his voice full of contempt as he approached the Madam's corpse. "You were just the same as all those other women. You don't deserve to wear red at all... No ma'am!"

_FLAP._

Grell removed her red coat and pulled it on, letting it slouch down around his shoulders in a sassy (?) fashion.

"The curtain has closed on your cheap performance of 'life.' _Farewell... Madam." _Grell sneered as he turned and started to walk away. Chêne collapsed onto the ground in a sitting position, sighing in relief. It looked like Grell had lost all interest in fighting them now, however... She watched sadly as Ciel kneeled down beside Madam Red's body. Sebastian exhaled as he watched the two humans.

"I'm sorry, Ciel..." Chêne said as she stared sadly at the Madam's corpse.

Ciel said nothing. His eyes were hidden by his bangs as he closed Madam Red's dull, lifeless eyes. Sebastian noticed that Chêne's eyes were glazing over, and she was shaking slightly. She would most likely have a cold now from being so cold and wet this whole time, on top of being wounded. It was time to get her to a hospital so the other humans could heal her.

"Sebastian. What are you doing?" Ciel asked emotionlessly when Sebastian reached out with his uninjured arm, about to pick Chêne up.

"...?" Sebastian said, slightly confused. Did Ciel not see just how badly injured Chêne was...?

"I... ordered you to 'hunt Jack the Ripper'... _It's not over yet."_ Ciel said coldly as he gazed up emotionlessly at his demon butler. Grell twitched when he heard that, and paused in making his exit to listen_. "So don't stand about twiddling your thumbs, man. Hunt down the last one."_ Ciel commanded.


	41. That Butler, Retrospective2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Retrospective 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Sebastian. What are you doing?" Ciel asked emotionlessly when Sebastian reached out with his uninjured arm, about to pick Chêne up._

"_...?" Sebastian said, slightly confused. Did Ciel not see just how badly injured Chêne was...?_

"_I... ordered you to 'hunt Jack the Ripper'... It's not over yet." Ciel said coldly as he gazed up emotionlessly at his demon butler. Grell twitched when he heard that, and paused in making his exit to listen. "So don't stand about twiddling your thumbs, man. Hunt down the last one." Ciel commanded._

* * *

><p>Sebastian's eyes widened slightly.<p>

"But, Ciel, Sebastian is wounded, and I—!" Chêne said anxiously, coughing from the effort of straining to speak. She was getting worse by the minute... but and order was an order, and Sebastian knew that Ciel was not in the state of mind to be easily persuaded... There was no helping it. Sebastian would just have to wrap this up quickly, post haste.

"_As you wish."_ Sebastian said, smirking. He did have a 'debt' to repay to the Reaper after all for injuring him so. Chêne's eyes widened in shock. Not only because of how stupid the two guys (at least in her opinion, since they still wanted to fight, despite just barely getting away before), but also because of what was on the hand she had just used to cover her mouth when she coughed. _Chêne had just coughed up blood._

'... Ah, hell—_This really sucks!'_ Chêne cried internally. If this kept up, she really would die. She felt like an idiot for letting herself be stabbed like that... However, Chêne didn't regret it, because Ciel was safe thanks that.

"... _Hee~!_ I was all ready to let you go 'cos I'm really not feeling it anymore, but..." Grell said, smirking as he shrugged. "... If you're that desperate to die, I'll do you the favor of sending the three of you... _to Heaven!_!" Grell yelled as he spun around and revved up his chainsaw, swinging it at Sebastian. Sebastian ducked and jumped back, smirking. After having a moment to rest, his wound had almost healed completely, and he had gotten a second wind.

"Heaven, was it? I am not fated to go there, I fear." Sebastian told Grell, smirking as he lifted a nearby wooden crate with is foot, and kicked it at Grell, like it was a giant soccer ball.

_WHOOSH._

The box hurtled towards Grell.

'Oh, great, he thinks he's David Beckham now...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She was starting to feel a little woozy.

_WHAM!_

Grell destroyed the crate, shredding it to pieces with his Scythe.

"Yours truly is just in the foulest of foul moods at the moment!" Grell said, grinning evilly. "So don't expect me to go easy—_!_?" Sebastian had suddenly disappeared.

TMP.

Grell froze. Sebastian had just landed on the guide bar of his Scythe, smirking smugly at the red Reaper.

"_!_!" Grell said, shocked that Sebastian had managed to get so close, so fast.

_SWIIISH!_

Sebastian immediately aimed a kick at Grell's face, but Grell managed to dodge it at the last minute.

"_Hey...! You just aimed for my face just now, didn't you!_?" Grell yelled incredulously, multiple vein marks throbbing on his forehead. "For a lady, her face is her life! _You fiend!_!"

"Heh. Oh, you are quite right on that account." Sebastian said, smirking. "For I am... a devil of a butler."

"_Hrm!_ Do you think a devil can win against a god, hm?" Grell sneered.

"It is difficult to say. Having never fought one, I cannot be sure, but... If Young Master tells me to win... then I shall. I must finish this task quickly, so that I can take Chêne to the hospital, as well." Sebastian said, giving Grell a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"I don't know what's happened between you and those brats, but you're awfully into them. It just riles me riiight up!" Grell said, pointing his Scythe at Ciel and Chêne.

"Everything seems to rile you up..." Chêne muttered. She was feeling really lightheaded now, and her patience was starting to run thin. There was only so much pain and blood loss a girl could take before she started getting a little cranky, you know? Sebastian smiled. If she still had the energy to talk, then she should be just fine for now.

"But even a devil such as yourself will perish if hunted with a Death Scythe, you know? Aren't you just quaking in your boots at the thought?" Grell taunted him as he revved his Scythe.

"Not at all." Sebastian said as the moon peeked out behind the clouds. "This body and soul... everything, down to the last hair on this head, belongs to my master now. For obeying the master's orders so long as the covenant endures... that is a butler's philosophy, if you will. If he tells me not to die, I will not die. If he tells me to die, I shall disappear." Sebastian said, smirking.

"Hmmm... I do rather like men who pursue the arts, Sebas-chan!" Grell said, smirking seductively (?) at him. "Suddenly I want to stomp on that composed face of yours with my heels... _and make you lick my shoes!_!" Grell shouted vindictively as he swung his Scythe at Sebastian. Sebastian jumped and flipped up into the air above Grell.

'So now he's not only gay, but he's a dominatrix too..._!_?' Chêne thought. Apparently blood loss could make a person's train of thought veer off onto even stranger paths than usual...

"A devil... and a Grim Reaper. Will we never be able to understand each other? If a Reaper is one whose job it is to retrieve souls... A devil is a noxious beast that steals and devours those souls!" Grell said, grinning as he dodged another of Sebastian's kicks. Grell jumped higher into the air, followed by Sebastian. "My feelings will never be requited... it's as if this is... _the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet~!"_ Grell cried dramatically as he 'swooned.' Chêne knew she was bad off now, because she was starting to hallucinate... She could've sworn she just saw an image of Grell in Shakespearean drag, sharing a 'passionate' stare with Sebastian, who was dressed in your typical Romeo costume. _There were sparkles and everything_. It was like _Twilight_ had invaded the Elizabethan era. Chêne shook her head, ridding herself of the image. It was both disturbing and hilarious at the same time, and trying to figure out how to react in her current state of health was making her head hurt. She saw both Sebastian and Ciel shudder and break out in goosebumps, clearly disturbed by the image.

"Who is that?" Ciel asked, appalled.

'Wait... _Did we just all have the same hallucination...!_?' Chêne wondered. Was it even a hallucination at all_!_?

"If you and I are the stars... Shakespeare will grieve soundly! Aah, _Sebas-chan!"_ Grell cried, trembling as he continued his ascent. "Deny thy master and refuse thy spiteful name... and cast your eyes upon me alone!" Grell flipped in the air. "Wherefore art thou, Sebas-chan~?" Sebastian grinned wickedly.

"From the time _my master_ called _me_ 'Sebastian'... that _word_ became my _covenant and christened me anew."_ Sebastian said, furrowing his brow slightly as he aimed another kick at Grell's face. "My last name was given to me by Chêne, and I have been 'Sebastian Michaelis' since that day." Sebastian said as he landed on the rooftop. His crimson eyes glowed as the light of the full moon illuminated him. "I vowed as much to the moon, you see?" he said confidently.

"Swearing on the moon is the mark of an insincere man." Grell said as he too landed on the roof. Sebastian smirked.

_=Flashback=_

_{Two years ago, nighttime at the Phantomhive manor...}_

_Sebastian was walking through the hall after tucking Ciel into bed for the night when he heard a soft sigh. It was Chêne. Sebastian watched as she leaned on the windowsill and stared out into the night. Her pale skin seemed almost luminescent in the pale moonlight that was shining down on her through the windowpane._

"_Mom, Dad, Laurie... I don't know how, but I promise you— I WILL find a way back to you. I at least want to find a way to let you know I'm okay..." Chêne said sadly as she gazed up at the crescent moon._

"_My, making promises by the light of the moon, Chêne? They say that is the mark of an insincere soul, as the moon is inconsistent and ever-changing, and so will be that person's sincerity towards fulfilling said promise." Sebastian said, sneaking up behind her. Sebastian smirked when Chêne nearly jumped a foot into the air, surprised. Her reactions were always so amusing._

"_How many times do I have to ask you not to do that creepy 'stealthy-sneak-through-the-shadows' thing!_?_" Chêne demanded incredulously. Sebastian just gave her his trademark shit-eating grin. She sweat dropped. Chêne could tell she wasn't going to win this fight anytime soon. "But... about what you said. I can't say I agree with it." Sebastian raised an eyebrow slightly at that._

"_Oh? And why is that?" He asked curiously._

"_Because... even if the moon's appearance is always changing, it's still the same moon, and even when there is a 'moonless night,' the night of a new moon—the moon is still there. It hasn't gone anywhere. Isn't that comforting? To know that even if the situation seems to have changed, your promise hasn't? Even if what you must do in order to fulfill that promise changes from what you thought you'd have to do, it doesn't change the promise itself... Just as the moon will always be the same moon, no matter what face she shows us..." Chêne answered, smiling softly as she gazed up at the silver moon. Sebastian looked at the moon as well. He had never thought of it that way before. With that line of thinking, swearing to the moon was probably one of the most binding promises you could make. He smirked as he glanced at Chêne._

'_Humans are so interesting...' Sebastian thought, amused._

_=End Flashback=_

"Your eyes are the eyes of one who does not love—tarnished eyes." Grell said as he stared into Sebastian's glowing crimson orbs, oblivious to the 'true' meaning that swearing to the moon held. You are a devil that defiles innocent souls with your hands and lips. _Yes... ohhh, yes... you're giving me the chills, Sebas-chan~!"_ Gell said, blushing as he shivered and panted. There were roses blooming in the background. _"If it's your child we're talking about, I think I'll be able to give birth to it~!"_

'_WTF—!_?' Chêne thought, giving Grell a blank stare. The Reaper looked like he had just about jizzed in his pants.

"Ugh... Please cease your folly. I find the mere thought revolting." Sebastian said bluntly, furrowing his brow and grimacing in disgust. The demon butler looked like he was going to be physically ill as he shuddered in disgust.

'_Not to mention that it's biologically impossible...'_ Chêne and Ciel thought, sweat dropping and grimacing.

"Aahn~! Such an ice king you are!" Grell cried, taking another swipe at Sebastian with his Scythe. "A beautiful tyrant! An angelic devil_!_! A raven with the wings of a dove_!_!" Grell leaped into the air, and Sebastian followed, throwing a punch at him. Grell managed to dodge. "My little lamb with the appetites of a wolf... My very own Sebas-chan_!_!" Sebastian dodged as Grell attacked once more. The deviant Reaper's Scythe slammed into the roof.

_BAM!_

Sebastian stomped his foot down on the base of Grell's Scythe, preventing the reaper from being able to attack again.

"Ohh... Sebas-chan... I wish the sun would never rise. Then we could keep hunting each other for all eternity. Forget that flat-chested little girl and that brat, and become one with me~!" Grell said, smirking.

"Just because I haven't said anything... you just keep running your mouth..." Chêne muttered darkly, getting their attention. She was in pain, and fresh out of patience. "They might look small, but... _I'm a 32 C-cup!_!" Chêne yelled, full of righteous fury. "—_And I'm eighteen, you drag queen!"_

"Wha—_!_?" Ciel yelled, gaping at her, before turning bright red. That was _way_ more information than he needed to know! Sebastian gave her a sharp look of disapproval. He was going to have to scold Chêne for this later. Even if Grell was not interested in women... her breast size was _not_ something she should be shouting out to other men at the top of her lungs. Although, Chêne was not usually the type to volunteer such information so shamelessly... It was probably the wooziness from her blood loss talking. Grell didn't like that Sebastian was ignoring him and paying attention to that girl, but... The Reaper grinned.

"But... this is the end of our romantic adventure." Grell said as he suddenly head-butted Sebastian, before he could recover from being distracted by Chêne's absurd ranting.

"_...!"_ Sebastian said, shocked that he had actually left himself so open.

"Sebastian...!" Chêne cried, surprised and concerned. That wasn't like the demon butler at all to let himself be attacked so easily...

"Let us part with a passionate kiss! Sebas-chan~!" Grell said, raising his Scythe. _"Now... I bid you a thousand... No, ten thousand adieus, my sweet prince~!"_ Chêne's eyes widened in shock and horror when Grell slashed Sebastian's chest with his Scythe. Blood spurted out of the large wound and Sebastian's mouth.

"_Nooooooo—!_!" Chêne screamed.


	42. That Butler, Retaliatory

**Author's Note: **_[For the purposes of this chapter, the cinematic record happenings/memories will be written like this.]_

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Retaliatory<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Let us part with a passionate kiss! Sebas-chan~!" Grell said, raising his Scythe. "Now... I bid you a thousand... No, ten thousand adieus, my sweet prince~!" Chêne's eyes widened in shock and horror when Grell slashed Sebastian's chest with his Scythe. Blood spurted out of the large wound and Sebastian's mouth._

"_Nooooooo—!" Chêne screamed._

* * *

><p>Chêne watched, horrified, as blood spurted out of the gash in Sebastian's chest. The demon's eyes were wide with shock.<p>

"Now..." Grell said, smirking, as he watched Sebastian's blood transform into reels of film. "... Show me a dramatic... no, a _moving_ moving picture...!" He leered at Sebastian.

_FWOOSH._

Sebastian's rolled forth. The most dramatic scenes of the demon's life were about to be revealed.

_["Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Mister Tanaka laughed softly as he smiled and sipped his tea.]_

Grell was completely white with shock. It almost looked like he had been turned to stone.

_["Uwaaaaahn!_!_ Mister Sebastiaaaan!_!" _Finni cried as he clung to the demon butler, bawling his eyes out over his latest mishap.]_

_["XXX (30) spoonfuls, just as the directions say, but something seems to have gone wrooong!" Mei-Rin cried. She had a few soap bubbles stuck to her head.]_

_["Cooking is art!_!" _Bard declared grandly. His hair had been fried into an afro again.]_

Grell and Chêne watched as similar mundane scenes played out before their eyes. For some reason, it didn't look like Ciel could see Sebastian's Cinematic Record this time either... weird. Chêne noticed that this time, there didn't seem to be any scenes of her or Ciel... double weird.

"N—! No—! Now—! Now just a minute! Who the hell are these idiots_!_?" Grell demanded incredulously, throwing a hissy fit as he turned blue with shock. "There's not even a smidge of drama here at all!"

"Koff!" Sebastian coughed as blood ran down his chin, but he was still standing despite receiving such a horrible wound. "You will only find mundane happenstances such as _these_ over the past year..." Sebastian said, breathing heavily as he held his wound.

'_He's_ coughing up blood now_!_?' Chêne thought, turning blue with shock. _Was choking on your own blood the 'in' thing now!_?

"I'm not interested in ordinary folks like them! There was nothing beautiful about them in the slightest_!_! _Show me something juicier!"_ Grell whined, obviously pissed that he had been denied his 'entertainment.'

"My apologies... However..." Sebastian said calmly as he suddenly dashed behind Grell, shocking the Reaper with his speed. _Who can just run like that when they have a gaping hole in their chest!_? "... You must pay to see the rest." Sebastian said, smirking, as he held a finger to his lips and winked.

"Tch!" Grell said, clicking his tongue in frustration. Sebastian's leg shot straight at Grell as he aimed a roundhouse kick at the Reaper's face. Grell managed to dodge, but just barely. The Reaper jumped back to put some distance between him and the demon.

"Oh dear... my clothes are in tatters once more..." Sebastian said, sounding slightly disappointed as he wiped the blood off of his mouth with the back of his hand. "I had hoped that mending the shoulders would help, but... this tailcoat is beyond redemption." Chêne gaped at him. He had just received a major wound that _would have_ _killed a human being_... and he was worried about _his clothes—!_? She decided that she had to slap him now once this was over. Sebastian needed to get his priorities straight.

"Worrying about your outfit at a time like this is very cheeky of you. Perhaps your wounds were not deep enough?" Grell bit out, multiple vein marks throbbing on his forehead. "And you keep aiming for my beautiful face, you devil... But I do love a man who cares about the way he looks... Sebas-chan." Sebastian sighed.

_FLAP._

Sebastian glared at Grell as he removed his tailcoat.

"I did not want to use this approach, but... I fear I have no other choice." Sebastian said darkly as he held his coat in one hand. His eyes were glowing demonically.

'Ooh! It's on now...!' Chêne thought. 'Good. Hurry up and finish this creep so you guys can get me to the hospital_!_! _I'm bleeding to death over here!_!' Chêne thought anxiously. She felt like she was going to black out any minute now, but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to worry Ciel.

"_Tee-hee_... So you've finally made up your mind to fight me seriously?" Grell asked, grinning, as he got ready to fight again.

FWOOSH.

The wind blew as the Reaper and demon stared each other down.

"How about we bring this show to a close with the next attack... Sebas-chan?" Grell leered. "Let us bid the world farewell... and be united in the next, okay?" They both took a step forward. _"Sebas-chan!_!" Grell yelled, grinning excitedly, as they both rushed towards each other.

_VWREE—_

"_!_?" Grell said, startled when his Scythe suddenly stopped. Sebastian had jammed his coat into it somehow. _"... Eh?"_ Grell tugged on the coat, but it was stuck in there good. _"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat!_? _It stopped moving!_?" Grell yelled incredulously, turning blue with shock, as he struggled to pull it out. Grell stared sweating nervously. _It wouldn't budge._

TMP.

Sebastian landed smoothly back onto the roof, smirking.

"I remembered a rather useful detail Chêne had mentioned earlier about how 'chainsaws' worked. If the cutting edge of your Death Scythe is dependent upon its revolution... it occurred to me that I only needed to keep it from doing so."

"Hngh! Hngh! _I'll get rid of this straight away—!_!" Grell yelled, vein mark throbbing on his head as he continued his futile efforts to yank the coat free from his Scythe.

"That tailcoat is tailored from top quality wool. The frictional force of wool is significant. Once caught, removing it will be no simple matter." Sebastian told Grell. Sebastian sighed as he held a hand to his forehead. "Haah. As it is supplied by the manor... I had wished to avoid employing my coat at all costs, but... there was no way around it. It was practically in rags anyway."

"_What the hell, Sebastian_—_!_? Even if you're a demon, don't scare us like that by letting yourself get injured like that! Just do that from the beginning_!_!" Chêne yelled incredulously. "We can always get a new coat, but there's only one of you—_koff!"_ Chêne coughed again. Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly. He had been too preoccupied before, but... he realized that the chilly night air was heavy with the scent of Chêne's blood now. Her wound had been much more severe than he had originally thought... _He needed to dispose of this pesky Reaper quickly._

"Heh... the Death Scythe that can cut through everything. That is, if one can actually wield it... right?" Sebastian asked Grell, smirking deviously. He just had a splendid idea for how to end this.

"Ah..." Grell said, paling as Sebastian stalked towards him.

"... You can no longer utilize your Death Scythe, can you?" Sebastian said, smirking, as he loomed over the frightened Reaper.

"Ah... Aah...!" Grell said shakily as he cowered in fear.

"Hmph! _If we simply make this a battle of fists... I do have some confidence I can win." _Sebastian said darkly, grinning as he cracked his knuckles. _Sebastian was pissed._

"Ah...! H—! Hey, wait...! ...D..." Grell stuttered, blue with shock and dread as he tried to inch away from the frightening and dangerous demon looming over him. _"Just not the faaaace!_ Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah_!_!" Grell screamed bloody murder as Sebastian proceeded to pay Grell back _with interest, _taking great care to make sure he aimed specifically at the Reaper's face.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I just added another link to my profile for a pic of Chene's little sister, Laurel. She's Ciel's age, but Laurel has grown to taller than both him and Chene over the two years that Chene was 'missing,' much to their chagrin.


	43. That Butler, Retaliatory2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That<em> Butl<em>er, Retaliatory 2**_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Hmph! If we simply make this a battle of fists... I do have some confidence I can win." Sebastian said darkly, grinning as he cracked his knuckles. Sebastian was pissed._

"_Ah...! H—! Hey, wait...! ...D..." Grell stuttered, blue with shock and dread as he tried to inch away from the frightening and dangerous demon looming over him. "Just not the faaaace! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Grell screamed bloody murder as Sebastian proceeded to pay Grell back with interest, taking great care to make sure he aimed specifically at the Reaper's face._

* * *

><p>{One brutal beating that is too violent to describe in a T-rated story later...}<p>

"_... Whew."_ Sebastian said, wiping his brow with the back of his hand, smiling radiantly. His wound had healed completely while he was beating Grell to a bloody pulp, and he had managed to work off a lot of pent up stress. He was feeling quite refreshed now.

"Ah... Ahwon't hurrget diiish... Guh-fuh_!_!" Grell groaned miserably as he coughed up blood. He was black and blue all over, and his glasses were broken. Grell's face was already starting to swell up to the point where he almost unrecognizable. Sebastian had mercilessly _kicked the crap out of him_—especially in the Reaper's 'precious' face. Chêne was amazed that Grell was still alive...

"Oh...? I should expect no less from a Reaper. A physical assault cannot kill you." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he walked away from Grell, towards the Reaper's jammed Scythe. Grell whimpered painfully. "But... What if I was to use this?" Sebastian asked, smirking evilly at him, as he picked up the Death Scythe and pointed it at its owner.

"_...!_?" Grell yelped, turning blue with shock.

"Since the Death Scythe can _make mincemeat out of anything..._ it follows that I would be able to make mincemeat out of you as well, no?" Sebastian said as he effortlessly yanked his wool coat free from where it had been enmeshed deep in the Scythe's gears. _How the hell had he done that!_? Grell trembled in fear.

"Wh-What are you think—!" He cried, terrified as he tried to crawl away from the approaching demon. "Hold it...! _Gyah!_" Grell screamed as Sebastian stomped on his face.

_CRACK... CRACK..._

Chêne winced when she heard the cracking of Grell's skull under Sebastian's heel as the demon repeatedly kicked the reaper.

"I do not enjoy being stepped on... but being the one doing the stepping is another story altogether. Fu-fu!" Sebastian said, laughing lightly and smiling _'innocently'_ as he attempted to _crush Grell's skull._

"_Ow d'oww...! Owwww!_!" Grell wailed. His miserable screams of pain echoed throughout the night. _"Ouuuurrch!_!" It was amazing that no one in the area had come to see what was causing the big commotion yet... or maybe they had just decided it wasn't worth the risk...

"Your wails have a rather tuneful ring to them." Sebastian told Grell as he continued to stomp on his face.

"_Sebas... A—Gyaaaaaaah!"_ Grell screamed in agony.

"As a reward_... I shall send you to the next life... with the help of your favorite toy."_ Sebastian said, smirking evilly. His red eyes glowed demonically as the deadly Scythe gleamed in the moonlight, and it roared back to life once again in Sebastian's hands.

'Oh God... _I fell in love with a super sadist_...' Chêne thought, grimacing. This did not bode well for her future. Sebastian was starting to scare her a little...

"_No! Stop!_!_ Plea—!"_ Grell begged desperately. _"Please, Sebas-chan... Stoooop!"_

"_I think not."_ Sebastian said, smiling brightly. There were roses in the background. Sebastian raised the Scythe above his head with a wicked smirk on his face and a murderous gleam in his eyes.

"_S... St... Stoooooop!_!" Grell screamed as Chêne covered her eyes, and Ciel watched emotionlessly as Sebastian swung the Scythe down at Grell.

"W-Wai—" Chêne cried nervously. Grell might be a serial killing tranny, but he was still a divine being, right...? Wouldn't they be in big trouble for taking him out_!_? Not to mention that this would pretty much make her an accessory to murder for just watching.

_CLANG._ VWREEE—RA... RA...

"_!_?" Sebastian said, surprised when a strange metal pole suddenly shot out in front of him, blocking Grell's Death Scythe. A Death Scythe was supposed to cut through _anything,_ and yet Sebastian found that he could _not_ cut this strange pole _at all_. Chêne stared at it, stunned. She realized that the end of the pole had clippers on it... _It was a 'long reach cut 'n hold bypass pruner'!_?

'_That's friggin' long!_!' Chêne thought, turning blue with shock. The thing was reaching all the way from the ground, up to the rooftop where Grell and Sebastian had fought. Sebastian, Ciel, Chêne, and Grell all stared up at the roof, where Grell's mysterious savior stood, illuminated by the light of the moon.

"_Ah...!"_ Grell said, surprised when he saw who it was. It was a dark-haired man, who had lime green eyes, just like Grell. He too had glasses, but his were a more masculine and no-nonsense style. He was wearing a black suit. To Chêne, he looked like he could've been a member of MIB... one with a stick up his ass, since the man was frowning as he looked down on them... although... they were pretty much mercilessly bullying someone...

"_!_?" Ciel said.

"Please pardon the interruption." The mysterious man said.

_KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–KASHAN._

The super-duper long reach pruner contracted back to its original size—the _normal_ length for the actual gardening tool.

"I am William T. Spears from the management division of the Grim Reaper Dispatch. I have come to claim that Reaper." Mystery man said. He jumped off the roof.

"Will! William!" Grell cried hopefully as tears of relief from in his eyes. "You came to rescue..."

_WHAAAM!_

"_... Meeee_..." Grell groaned miserably when William landed _right on top of his head_, slamming Grell's face into the ground. William had landed with so much force, that Grell's face had formed a small crater in the street when it slammed into it... _That had to hurt._

"Dispatch member Grell Sutcliff. You are guilty of having violated our ordinances." William said sternly as he opened a large book, preparing to read Grell his rights.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I know that Will's Death Scythe is often called pruning shears, but I checked on the almighty internet, and it told me that 'pruning shears' looked more like a pair of scissors, so I kept searching until I found pics of the right tool, and it was called a 'long reach cut 'n hold bypass pruner' so I went with that. (^_^;)

Also, I have added another link to my profile for a pic of Lacey,yaay~!


	44. That Butler, Retaliatory3

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Retaliatory 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I am William T. Spears from the management division of the Grim Reaper Dispatch. I have come to claim that Reaper." Mystery man said. He jumped off the roof._

"_Will! William!" Grell cried hopefully as tears of relief from in his eyes. "You came to rescue..."_

_WHAAAM!_

"_... Meeee..." Grell groaned miserably when William landed right on top of his head, slamming Grell's face into the ground. William had landed with so much force, that Grell's face had formed a small crater in the street when it slammed into it... That had to hurt._

"_Dispatch member Grell Sutcliff. You are guilty of having violated our ordinances." William said sternly as he opened a large book, preparing to read Grell his rights._

* * *

><p><em>BAM!<em>

"First, by killing those not on the list of the dead." Will said perfectly calm, as he suddenly kicked Grell in the face. "Second, by using a Death Scythe without submitting an application for said use." Will began stomping on Grell's face repeatedly, just as Sebastian had been doing earlier... only Will seemed to be very blasé about it, like he was slightly bored.

"Hey... Wi... Bufuh_!_! Agh!" Grell choked out in between blows, obviously in agonizing pain.

"..." Ciel and Chêne said, sweat dropping as they watched. This was his 'ally'? Chêne was starting to feel a little sorry for Grell...

"We will return to headquarters right away and have you submit a written apology and report." Will said as he began dragging Grell away by his long, red hair.

"_Listen!_!_ I was just about to get killed, you heard!_?" Grell shouted indignantly. His face was swollen completely beyond recognition now... He looked like a puffer fish. "_You're so cold—"_

"_Quiet."_ Will said coldly as he swung Grell by his hair and slammed him into the ground. _Hard._

_WHAM!_

"_Buh!"_ Grell grunted in pain.

"I apologize for all the trouble _that thing_ has caused you." Will said as he gave a deep bow to Sebastian. "Ah. My card." He said as he handed Sebastian a business card.

"I... see..." Sebastian said, a little stunned, as he took the card. This was certainly and unexpected turn of events.

"Really... having to bow my head to a noxious beast like you... is an affront to all reapers." Will muttered darkly.

Sebastian stared at him for a moment, before carelessly tossing the card over his shoulder.

"Then please keep watch over your underlings so as not to inconvenience said noxious beast." Sebastian said, smiling. "Humans are easily tempted." He said darkly as his smile changed to a wicked smirk. "When they are poised on the edge of hellish despair... and a spider's thread of salvation presents itself, they will invariably grasp it... _no matter the manner of human."_ Sebastian said, glancing briefly at Ciel and Chêne out the corner of his eye.

"Why're yaaa look'n a' meee fo'...?" Chêne said weakly, slurring her words. She was teetering on the spot where she was sitting on the ground, like she was about to fall over... apparently extreme blood loss can make you look drunk when you're too weak to speak properly and sit up on your own. Will narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Chêne before turning back to Sebastian. Sebastian didn't like the way he had looked at Chêne... was she closer to death than he thought? If so, he may have another fight on his hands.

"Taking advantage of that, you devils seduce humans... and live by leeching off of them, isn't that right?" Will said, frowning in distaste as he adjusted his glasses.

"Heh... I do not deny that." Sebastian said calmly. After all, his plans for the dying Chêne were not entirely benevolent in nature.

"Though as a collared pet dog... I suppose you're somewhat better than a mad dog with no sense of fidelity, hm?" Will said, glancing at Ciel. He turned to face Chêne. "What is your name, girl?" he asked bluntly. Sebastian tensed. The Reaper _was_ going to try to collect her. Chêne blinked in confusion. Her vision was getting blurry.

"Ch-Chêne LeBeau...?" Chêne said, wondering why it mattered. She wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box at the moment.

"Chêne LeBeau..." Will said thoughtfully as he flipped through the pages of his book, reading the names on his 'to die' list for the night. He frowned, puzzled. "How strange... Your body is clearly about to shut down and die physically, and yet your name is not on the list. Since that is the case, I cannot collect your soul at the moment, but those are not wounds that can be healed by a human. I'm certain we will meet again soon." Will told Chêne. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at the Reaper.

"_!_?" Ciel said, alarmed as he glanced at Chêne. She had been enduring it so well, that he hadn't realized just how bad off she was... Ciel narrowed clenched his fists and grit his teeth. _He was not going to let Chêne die...!_

"...Um... see you later...?" Chêne mumbled to will, confused. Will stared at her for a moment. What a strange girl.

"... All right. It's time we returned, Grell Sutcliff." Will said as he started dragging Grell away by his hair again. "Good grief... we're understaffed to begin with... and now I shan't be able to clock out on time yet again thanks to you." Will muttered at the now unconscious Grell.

"..." Sebastian said as he glanced at Grell's Death Scythe, which he was still holding.

_SHA!_

Sebastian suddenly flung the Scythe at Will. It hurtled towards the Grim Reaper with inhuman speed.

_THWAP. BIIIN._

The scythe wobbled in Will's hand. He had somehow managed to catch it using only two of his fingers. Will glanced back over his shoulder at Sebastian.

"..." Will said as the two supernatural beings stared each other down.

"_... You forgot something."_ Sebastian said politely (?) as he gave Will his trademark shit-eating grin.

"—Cheers..." Will said coolly as he readjusted his glasses again, and continued on his way, now holding both of their scythes and dragging Grell behind him. _"Now... if you will excuse us..."_ He said, bidding them all farewell before disappearing into the pitch-black darkness at the end of the alleyway. Sebastian exhaled once he felt their presence disappear completely. Now he could deal with more important matters...

"Forgive me, Sir. I failed to capture the remaining culprit." Sebastian reported to Ciel. He wasn't sure if his young master had been paying much attention to them after he learned the true severity of Chêne's wound.

"... Let it go. Just... let it go." Ciel said numbly as he held Chêne, staring down at her. Chêne had finally lost her sense of balance completely, and Ciel had grabbed her to keep her from falling and hitting her head on the street's hard cobblestones. Chêne's breathing was heavy and labored as she struggled to remain conscious. She felt so tired... but Chêne had a feeling that if she let herself sleep now... _she might never wake up again_.

"Heh... How very like her..." Sebastian said, smiling wryly as he knelt down beside the two humans, and gently tucked a stray hair behind Chêne's ear and out of her face. "Although her body is broken, Chêne's soul is still stubbornly clinging to her body." He frowned slightly. "However, no matter how stubborn she is, it won't last. She will stop breathing soon, and then her heart will cease to beat. Even if we get her to the hospital now, there is nothing the doctors can do to save her..."

"Then what am I supposed to do—_!_?" Ciel demanded angrily. "Just sit here and watch her die_!_?" This was his fault for insisting they continue the fight, even though he _knew_ she had been wounded... The only reason she got hurt in the first place was because she protected him! Chêne coughed weakly.

"C-Ciel... it's okay..." Chêne said, smiling weakly at him. Blood was running down her chin now. Ciel stared down at her, stricken.

"_D-Don't lie!_ There's no way '_it's okay'!_!" Ciel snapped at her. He could feel the tears threatening to form in his eyes._ No._ He refused to cry.

"It_ is_ okay... because in the end... you guys are safe." Chêne said, smiling softly as her eyes started to close. "I'm not scared to die... because you're here with me... whatever happens... don't forget to laugh and smile, Ciel." Ciel bit his lip as he squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to let any tears fall. He had decided two years ago that he would never cry in front of anyone again, but now...

"...Sebastian..." Chêne said softly as she gazed up at the demon with half-lidded eyes. She struggled to raise her hand and reach out to him. Sebastian realized her intentions, and held her hand. Chêne smiled softly at him. She gazed at him with loving eyes. "I should've just said this before... but I was too scared... _I love you."_ A single tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes closed for the last time.

"... Ch-Chêne—_!_!" Ciel cried in alarm, shaking her. Sebastian stared down calmly at Chêne's limp body. His face didn't betray any trace of emotion.

"Young Master. Not all hope is lost. There is a way to save her still... Her soul is still clinging to her body. As long as her heart is still beating, however weak—_I can save her_. All that is required of you is to order me to do so." Sebastian said as gazed down at Chêne's peaceful face. Sebastian frowned slightly. It looked as if she were merely sleeping... and yet... there was a strange tightening sensation in his chest. _He just couldn't leave her alone_. Sebastian didn't even know why he was suggesting using _this method_ to save her, but had he mentioned it while she was conscious, he was sure that Chêne wouldn't allow it if she knew the full details... However... _he would NOT let her die. _Ciel froze when he heard that Chêne still had a chance at surviving. He didn't _need_ to think about it. Ciel looked up and stared Sebastian right in the eye.

"_Do it."_ Ciel ordered gravely. Although he had no idea what method Sebastian was going to use to save her, he wasn't about to waste precious time asking questions. Every second that passed, Chêne drew closer to death. He could deal with the consequences of his actions later.

"_Yes, my Lord."_ Sebastian said. His crimson eyes glowed as he removed the glove covering his hand that bore the seal of his covenant with Ciel. Sebastian picked up Chêne and sat her in his lap, holding her in an upright sitting position so that her back was leaning against his chest. "This will only take a moment." Sebastian said as he bit into his hand and placed it over Chêne's mouth, making sure his demonic blood dripped into her mouth and down her throat.

"—_!_?" Ciel said, shocked. "What are you—_!_?" Chêne's body suddenly tensed, and Sebastian had to hold her in place as her body convulsed. It looked like she was having a seizure.

"It will be over soon." Sebastian said soothingly, smirking victoriously, as his eyes crimson eyes glowed. _It was working._ Sebastian knew that Chêne's body reacting this way meant that her body had properly absorbed his blood, and her human blood was bonding with his, changing her. Ciel stared, wide-eyed, as Chêne shook violently from her seizure... but just as Sebastian had said (though Ciel wasn't entirely sure whether Sebastian had been talking to him or her) Chêne's body gradually stopped seizing, and she became limp in his arms again. She almost looked like a porcelain doll in the pale moonlight.

"Did it wor—" Ciel started to ask when Chêne's eyes suddenly shot open. Her normally pale mint-green eyes were glowing inhumanly bright, and looked almost electric.

"—_!_?" Ciel gasped, shocked.

_What the hell did Sebastian do...!_?


	45. That Butler, Eternally Yours

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Eternally Yours<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Did it wor—" Ciel started to ask when Chêne's eyes suddenly shot open. Her normally pale mint-green eyes were glowing inhumanly bright, and looked almost electric._

"—_!" Ciel gasped, shocked. _

_What the hell did Sebastian do...!_

* * *

><p>The electric green glow in Chêne's eyes started to fade, and her eyes returned to normal as they closed again. Her breathing was soft and even as she slept in Sebastian's arms.<p>

"Chêne will need to sleep for a while, but she will be just fine once she has recovered her strength. I have been told the type of transformation she just underwent is quite exhausting." Sebastian told Ciel, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin. Ciel narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sebastian.

"What transformation...?" Ciel asked sternly. Sebastian reached out and lightly touched his free hand, the one that wasn't holding Chêne, to Ciel's cheek.

"You have become terribly chilled. Let us return to the town house at once, an I shall prepare that hot milk for you and Chêne as promised, all right? I shall explain everything once Chêne has awakened. She should here this as well." Sebastian said, giving Ciel his trademark shit-eating grin as he stood up, carrying Chêne in his arms.

"..." Ciel said as he stared at Sebastian's blood stained glove. It had been a long night, and now that things had finally calmed down somewhat, Ciel suddenly realized how tired he was. "Yes, very well." Ciel stood up, but he was a little shaky, and swayed to the side.

"Young Master!" Sebastian said, surprised when the uninjured boy almost fell, but Sebastian managed to switch his hold on Chêne to only using one arm so he could catch Ciel.

_SLAP!_

Ciel slapped Sebastian's hand away and took a step back from the demon butler. Ciel's brow was furrowed as he frowned at him. Sebastian stared at Ciel, slightly taken aback. He didn't think Chêne's 'change' would affect him so.

"Young—!" Sebastian said, concerned.

"Don't." Ciel said bluntly. "I am all right. I can stand on my own." Ciel said solemnly as he glanced at Madam Red's corpse.

"..." Sebastian said as he watched the young earl. Ciel didn't _look 'all right'_ to him.

"... I'm... just... a bit tired..." Ciel said wearily.

=†=†=†=†=

{The next morning—The Phantomhive Townhouse, a guest room}

"... Ngh..." Chêne moaned as she rolled over on her back and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Chêne sighed blissfully as she sat up and stretched, enjoying the feeling of the warm sunlight on her skin.

"My, you look just like a kitten when you stretch like that..." Sebastian observed, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne froze. She stared at him blankly for a few moments, as though she was trying to decide if she was actually awake or not. Chêne glanced down at herself. She was wearing a nightgown... _which she definitely did NOT remember putting on!_!

"—Why am I wearing a nightgown! _Who dressed me!_?" Chêne yelled, practically shooting out of the bed as she confronted Sebastian.

"Well, you certainly could not remain in your outfit from last night. It simply wouldn't do to stain the sheets with your blood, now would it? As for who dressed you _and washed the blood off of you_... It certainly was not the young master, and I am currently the only other servant here, so..." Sebastian said, smirking deviously at her. Chêne froze and turned blue with shock and dread.

"...D-Did you say _'wash'_...?" Chêne stuttered, hoping to God she had misheard.

"Yes." Sebastian said bluntly, smiling. Chêne turned to stone, mortified. _He saw her naked!_? "You were covered in your own blood after being stabbed by Madam Red. In the future, when you receive a wound like that, you should say something sooner when you feel the icy hand of death upon you, instead of just 'grinning and bearing it.' Did you forget? Or did you perhaps think it was all just a bad dream?" Sebastian asked, grinning at her. She blushed cherry red from head to toe. If it really happened..._Then she really did tell Sebastian that she loved him!_! And—wait... didn't she _die_...?

"If it was all real, then why am I still alive?" Chêne asked, recovering, as she raised a skeptical eyebrow at Sebastian. Sebastian reached out and took her left hand.

"!" Chêne said, blushing. Sebastian smirked slightly.

"If you'll take a look at your ring finger, you will see one of the subtle changes you have gone through in your 'transformation.'" Sebastian told her. Chêne glanced down at her hand, confused and curious.

"_!_!" Chêne said, surprised. "Since when did I have a tattoo_!_?" She asked incredulously. There was a 'ring tattoo' on her left ring finger, like what married couples sometimes get. It was black, and it looked like it was the image of a chain wrapped around her finger. Chêne squinted her eyes as she took a closer look. No... It wasn't just a chain... they were infinity signs that were linked together all the way around her finger.

"I will explain in just a moment, but first you must get dressed for the day, so you can the young master for breakfast. He has been waiting ever since last night to hear what I am about to say." Sebastian told her, releasing her hand.

"Okay..." Chêne said. She glanced around the room. "... But where is my stuff? How come I'm in one of the guest rooms?" She asked, confused.

"I believe the young master is feeling guilty for almost letting you die." Sebastian said as he walked over to the room's wardrobe and removed a simple, but pretty green day dress. "He has decided to give you today off, seeing as you went through such an ordeal last night. Madam Red's funeral is set for tomorrow, once the Undertaker has finished preparing her."

"I see..." Chêne said sadly. "Is Ciel all right? Even if Madam Red was Jack the Ripper and tried to hurt us, she was still his aunt..."

"... He has not once cried, if that's what you are asking." Sebastian said as he handed the dress to her. Chêne smiled sadly.

"No... I didn't think he would. He said he'd never cry again, after all." Chêne said as she held her new dress to her chest, holding back a few tears of her own. She had rather liked Madam Red.

=†=†=†=†=

{The townhouse dinning room}

"How was she...?" Ciel asked when Sebastian returned to his side.

"She is worried about you, but other than that, Chêne seems to be doing just fine, so far." Sebastian said, giving Ciel a shit-eating grin. However, they both knew that would probably change once Chêne found out what Ciel and Sebastian had done to her.

"Good morning, Ciel." Chêne said, smiling softly as she entered the room. "I'm sorry about Madam Red..." She said sadly as she hugged the young earl. Ciel gently pushed her away, unable to look her properly in the eyes. He knew that Chêne might not be so eager to hug him after whatever Sebastian was about to tell them.

"...Thank you... have seat. Then we can finally hear what Sebastian has to say." Ciel said calmly as he took another bite of his breakfast.

CLINK.

Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise when Sebastian set a pate_ loaded_ with food in front of Chêne. Today's breakfast was eggs benedict, fresh fruit, scones, and _bacon._ Her stomach growled at the sight and smell of all the delicious food.

"Wow, Sebastian, it's like you read my mind!" Chêne said, rubbing the back of her neck out of embarrassment. "... You didn't... did you?" She asked cautiously. Sebastian smirked.

"No, your mind is still entirely your own. I simply knew that you would be hungry because you will still need to eat human food for sustenance." Sebastian explained, glancing at Ciel as he said the last part.

"... You mean she's still human? After her eyes glowed... I thought she had undergone a 'transformation'?" Ciel said, glaring slightly at his butler.

"What 'transformation'...? I feel fine." Chêne said, blinking in confusion before taking another bite of food. _Man, was she hungry!_ Chêne felt like she hadn't eaten in years.

"Yes, other than a ravenous appetite, you should be feeling better than you ever have in life as a human." Sebastian said. Chêne froze, and the food fell of her fork as she stared at him, stunned.

"I'm getting a really ominous feeling about the way you phrased that..." Chêne said, eyeing Sebastian suspiciously. "... I'm not going to like hearing this, am I...?"

"That will most likely be the case, but it is _extremely _important that you listen to my explanation to the end." Sebastian said seriously. Chêne nodded in understanding.

"Well, are you going to tell us how you revived her or not?" Ciel asked impatiently. He had been waiting all night to hear this.

"Very well." Sebastian said, closing his eyes. "You were not conscious for this, Chêne, but in order to keep you from dying, I had to give you my blood. It is rather fortunate you are such a stubborn soul, or else it would not have worked. If your heart had stopped beating, it would not have been able to circulate my blood throughout the rest of your body." Sebastian explained. "However... in exchange for saving your life, and healing your wound, there will be some consequences..." He said solemnly.

"Consequences... like what?" Chêne asked warily.

"As a result of consuming my blood, it has bonded with yours... your body has become tainted with my demonic energy now. _You are no longer a human_." Sebastian said. His eyes glowed slightly.

"_!_!" Chêne said, flinching in shock. She... she... wasn't human..._!_?

"Then... is she like _you _now?" Ciel asked hesitantly. He had thought the consequences Sebastian had mentioned would be something he would have to bear, not Chêne... He should've known better.

"No. Chêne is neither a human, nor a demon... She has become something else entirely." Sebastian said. "You still have your human soul, however, The Grim Reapers will not be able to forcibly take it from you anymore, and no other demon will be able to touch it either. So, you have no need to fear for your soul, as I have no intention of consuming it, and you will not hunger for the souls of other humans either." He told Chêne. Chêne relaxed slightly. At least she still had her soul... but...

"You said my body was 'tainted'... what about my soul? Is it still possible for me to go to Heaven...?" Chêne asked hopefully. Sebastian frowned slightly.

"I cannot say for certain, as I have only ever heard of this from other demons, and they all consumed the souls of their quarry. It is possible... but I do not wish to give you false hope. You will most likely not be able to enter Heaven." Sebastian told her. In his opinion, her soul would probably be destined for Hell now, because whether it was done by her consent or not, Chêne had still committed a sin against God by consuming his blood. However... he had no intention of bringing her to such a place. "What I _can_ tell you, is that while your soul has not been changed, your physical body has. Your five senses will be a little sharper now, and your reflexes will improve, but you will not gain any physical strength. You will be more able than most humans, but your senses will be nowhere near as strong as a demon's. You will also stop aging. Your 'time as a human' has essentially stopped." Sebastian explained calmly. He watched Chêne cautiously, waiting to see how she would react to this. Most human women would rejoice at the thought of being young and beautiful forever, but Chêne was not most women. She was staring at him, shocked. Ciel was as well.

"You mean... I'll basically be eighteen forever...?" Chêne asked warily. "What am I going to do once people notice that I'm not aging? I mean, I can get by for a while, since all the women on my mother's side age gracefully, but if I'm supposed to be eighty, and I look like a teenager, people are going to know something's wrong!"

"You will no longer be able to stay in one place for too long, however, I may be able to make it appear to the humans around you as if you have aged, as I too will need to do the same... but it will only be an illusion." Sebastian said calmly. "And even if they were to find out, and try to harm you, I can revive you with my blood as long as your heart is still beating. So, as long as you can avoid being stabbed through the heart, you should be just fine. You will be required to drink my blood on a regular basis anyway." Chêne and Ciel stared at him strangely.  
>"... Eh?" Chêne asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Why would I have to drink your blood? Aren't I already healed?"<p>

"Yes, however, it seems that most humans, once they have consumed a demon's blood, will develop an addiction to it, and they will go mad without it. My blood is rather powerful, so you should only need to consume a small amount about once a month." Sebastian explained.

"..." Chêne said, staring at him. "So, basically, I'm like a vampire for demons?" Chêne asked raising an eyebrow. "You said _'most'_ so there's a chance I don't actually need your blood, right? If that's the case, then I'd rather not drink it, because no offense, but that sounds gross, drinking blood like that..." She said, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thought.

"First of all, you are _no_ vampire. If I had to give it a name, I would say you are a 'Methuselah.' And I believe you are familiar with the phrase 'better safe than sorry'?" Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I have stated before that I heard of this from other demons, didn't I? One of the most famous and extreme cases of what can happen if you do not drink my blood, is a 16th century Hungarian countess. She asked the demon she contracted with to make her young and beautiful forever, so he did using this method. I believe she was called by the name of Elizabeth—"

"—Bathory. Elizabeth Bathory." Chêne finished for him, her eyes wide with shock.

"I see you have heard of her already." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. That would save him the trouble of explaining this part at least. Chêne had paled slightly, so she would probably heed his warning now, and listen to him in order to keep herself from sharing the same fate as the countess.

"Who is this 'Elizabeth Bathory'?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. He didn't like feeling out of the loop.

"She's basically the world's first documented female serial killer. According to legend, she became so paranoid about growing old, and losing her beauty, that she somehow got the idea that she could stave off the effect of old age by torturing and killing young women so that she could bathe in their blood. She's often associated with vampire legends because of this. It's said that this took place over a span of twenty-five years before she was caught. Her victims are thought to number in the hundreds." Chêne explained.

"Precisely. However, what you humans did not know was that the countess had made a contract with the devil, and he gave her his blood once to change her... but he neglected to tell her that she would need his blood on a regular basis, and she went insane. She knew that blood was the key to her problem, but she did not know that it had to be _that demon's_ blood. Since their contract was only to grant her eternal youth, and he had no orders to protect her, the demon was able to consume her soul upon her death, after she was placed under house arrest. Quiet frankly, I'm surprised they didn't execute her." Sebastian said.

"And how is it that you know of such a gruesome story?" Ciel asked Chêne.

"Lacey." Chêne said simply, as though it explained everything. Ciel sweat dropped. In a way, it did. Ciel had heard enough strange stories about Lacey to know that her sanity was probably... _questionable_.

"So, basically, if Chêne does not drink your blood, then she will become a blood lusting, homicidal lunatic?" Ciel said bluntly. Chêne sweat dropped and sighed in defeat.

"All right, all right... I get it! I'll be a good girl and take my medicine... _damn it._" Chêne muttered, disgruntled.

"You are taking this surprisingly well." Sebastian observed, not that he was complaining. It would only make things more difficult if she had come to despise him for what he had done to her. "You do realize that since you have consumed my blood, your are now bound to me for all of eternity, do you not?" Sebastian asked her. She was basically considered his property now, and she would have to depend upon him for her very sanity and survival throughout the ages.

"Yeah... but I don't think the gravity of the situation has entirely sunk in yet... I'm sure I'll have a marvelous breakdown later." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "Any thing else I should know?"

"Yes, now that we are bound to each other, we can both 'call' to the other, much like how Ciel is ale to summon me through the mark of his covenant." Sebastian said, smirking.

"Hm... kind of like pager... Nifty." Chêne said thoughtfully. That could come in handy.

"..." Ciel and Sebastian said, staring at her. What was on earth was a 'pager'? It must be another strange item from Chêne's world...

"In any case..." Sebastian said as he removed his glove to reveal a 'ring' similar to Chêne's on his left ring finger.

"You are now bound to me for all of eternity, until death do us part." Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowing as he smirked devilishly at her.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

'Methuselah' refers to the oldest person whose age is mentioned in the Bible, the grandfather of Noah. Methuselah supposedly lived to be 969 years old, and died seven days before the Great Flood. The name 'Methuselah,' or the phrase 'old as Methuselah' is often used to refer to any living thing reaching a great age. (This phrase is basically equivalent to the phrase 'older than dirt.')

I'm sorry if this is too much of a cliche, but the friend who asked me to write this asked me very nicely (more like threatened) me to make Chene more than just human somehow, but I didn't want her to be a demon or a cat-girl, so this was my solution. I hope you liked it! (^_^;)


	46. That Butler, Mourning

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Mourning<strong>_

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><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

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><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_In any case..." Sebastian said as he removed his glove to reveal a 'ring' similar to Chêne's on his left ring finger. _

"_You are now bound to me for all of eternity, until death do us part." Sebastian said, his crimson eyes glowing as he smirked devilishly at her._

* * *

><p>CLANG! CLANG!<p>

"Kyaah...ahaha!" Three children laughed and ran along the outside of the churchyard's fence, as they dragged a stick along the fence, making a racket.

"Big bruver!" A little boy called as he stopped to look at the church.

"Hm?" The older boy asked as he and the little girl with them stopped to stare too.

"There sure are a lot of people at the church over there, huh? Why?" The little boy asked curiously.

"Dunno." The older boy said thoughtfully. There were lots of people dressed in black entering the church. Their clothes looked fancy, like they belonged to the upper class.

"Big bruver is big, but he doesn't know? _Are you a dummy?"_ The little boy asked skeptically. "Booo."

"Dummy?" The little girl asked curiously.

"Wha—_!_? I'm only twelve, so I don't hafta know!" The older boy yelled indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"Yes. Quite right. It makes perfect sense for a _child _not to know." Undertaker said creepily as he suddenly loomed over the children from the other side of the fence. The three children turned blue with shock and trembled in fear of the mysterious man. "Hee! Hee! You see, today... they are holding a certain noblewoman's gala." Undertaker said, grinning.

"Gala...?" The older boy asked nervously.

"Yes. The last, grandest ceremony of her life." Undertaker said, smiling as he held finger to his lips. _"Her funeral."_

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside the church}

Lizzie stood before Madam Red's coffin, which had been placed in front of the altar. Lau watched silently from his seat in one of the pews. For once, the Chinese man wasn't smiling. His expression was just as solemn as those around him. A few of the women in attendance were sniffling and crying softly as they mourned the Madam. Tears threatened to fall from Lizzie's eyes as she sniffed.

"Aunt An..." Lizzie said sadly as she gazed down at her aunts coffin. Madam Red had been dressed in a simple white dress, and her coffin was lined with white lilies. Her hands had been arranged so that she was holding a lily and a rosary.

CHAK.

The mourners filling the church began to murmur amongst themselves when the church doors opened, and someone stood at the entrance. Lizzie's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to see who the latecomer was. It was Ciel. He was wearing all black, except for the red rose pinned to the lapel of his coat. He was holding a brilliant red dress. Sebastian and Chêne stood behind him. Sebastian was holding Ciel's top hat for him and wearing his usual black coat and butler uniform, but Chêne was wearing a modified version of her maid uniform that was completely black, without an ounce of color on it. She was also wearing a black mourning hat that had a veil on it, and she was wearing black gloves. She held a single red rose.

"Ciel..!" Lizzie said surprised. 'A red dress..._!_?' She thought, wondering what her fiancé was planning.

CLICK.

Ciel stepped forward into the church, followed by Chêne. Sebastian remained by the door as the two of them processed down the aisle. They ignored the whispers of the other mourners as they approached Madam Red's coffin. Sebastian watched solemnly, his face half cast in shadow, as they drew closer to Madam Red and the church altar. Lau looked slightly surprised when they passed him. Lizzie held a hand to her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes, as she watched. Ciel and Chêne came to a stop in front of Madam Red's coffin.

_FLAP._

"—White flowers... and plain clothes... do not befit you." Ciel said, smiling down softly at his aunt as he laid the red dress over her. "What suits you best... is passionate red." Ciel said as he removed the rose from his lapel and tucked it into Madam Red's hair. "The color of Lycoris that blazes the earth... _Aunt An._" Ciel said, smiling fondly as he called Madam Red just as he had when he was younger, and he leaned down and touched his forehead to hers. Chêne smiled sadly as she watched, glad that Ciel was making the most of his final farewell to his beloved aunt.

_FLUTTER~_

"—Ah." Lizzie said softly as she watched red rose petals flutter gracefully in the air as a gentle breeze blew them into the church. The whole church stared in awe at the beautiful sight as the elegant sight and scent of crimson rose petals filled the air. The rose petals were being blown into the church from the hearse that was waiting to take the Madam to her final resting place. The Undertaker grinned as he stood beside it with Sebastian. He had made sure to fill it full of brilliant red roses at Ciel's request. Ciel gazed down at his aunt as he remembered her energetic and loving smile.

"—Good night... Madam Red." Ciel said solemnly as he straightened back up and took a step back, looked down upon his aunt's coffin. She looked so peaceful, as if she were merely sleeping.

"... I hope you are able to rest in peace... Madam." Chêne said, smiling sadly as she tucked the thornless red rose she had been holding into Madam Red's hand. The passionate red rose now lay alongside the pure white lily.

=†=†=†=†=

_DONG. DONG._

The church bells could be heard ringing in the distance as Ciel, Sebastian, and Lau stood before Madam Red's fresh grave. They were the only ones who still lingered after the funeral service had ended. Ciel had dismissed Chêne so that she could speak to Undertaker about something.

"You are not reporting the true identity of Jack the Ripper to the Queen?" Lau asked. They had told him most of the truth... except for how Grell was Madam Red's Grim Reaper accomplice, of course.

"—... There is no need to do so..." Ciel said solemnly. "... As Jack the Ripper is no longer in London."

"—And thus... do you become further mired in the mud." Lau said cryptically.

"...?" Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as he looked at Lau.

"Even if you reach a place from whence you cannot return... you will never utter an unsightly scream or beg for help in front of anybody. You proud... hound of the queen." Lau said, his face cast partially in shadow. "I shall be careful myself... to avoid falling into my Lord's 'care'."

"The addictive nature of opium is becoming a problem. It is but a matter of time before it becomes regulated in Great Britain." Ciel said calmly, readjusting his hat. "And if that happens, the opium dens you Chinamen are operating will have to be shut down."

"Then I will come up with another business." Lau said simply. "I am still interested in this country. And in you as well... my Lord." Sebastian glanced at Lau out the corner of his eye. His eyes opened slightly as he leaned in close to Ciel, and laid a hand on the young earl's shoulder. "I expect you will continue... to amuse me." Lau said, his face cast in shadow as he smirked. Lau then straightened up and left them, having already said everything that he felt needed to be said.

"Sebastian, we have some place to be. Chêne is already there, waiting for us. Come." Ciel said, turning and walking away. Sebastian followed, wondering what his young master and Chêne were up to.

=†=†=†=†=

"_Has something changed about you, Miss Maid?"_ The under taker asked Chêne, poking her in the cheek. Chêne smiled wryly, but there was a subtle hint of sadness in her eyes.

"I feel the same as I always have. Perhaps it's because I usually have some find of color on in addition to black? I've never dressed completely in black before, like this, after I started working for Ciel." Chêne said as she knelt down and laid a bouquet of white lilies on top of the grave, now that Undertaker had finished burying the poor soul. She made the sign of the cross, and began to quietly pray for the soul of the deceased. She didn't know if God would hear her prayers anymore, but it was more comforting to think that he did. Although Chêne didn't usually flaunt her faith, She had always found great comfort in it when times were hard. Undertaker leaned on the tombstone as she prayed, grinning like a Cheshire cat... almost as if he found the idea of Chêne praying slightly amusing.

"—Undertaker. Are you done?" Ciel asked as he and Sebastian walked up to join them. Sebastian was a little surprised to see Chêne praying after everything that had happened. Most humans would be angry, and would probably turn their backs on God if they had found out they would probably be denied entrance into Heaven... Then again, Chêne wasn't exactly human anymore, even if her soul was...

"Of course. I cleaned her up and buried her. See?" Undertaker said as he hopped off of the tombstone, and motioned to the name that had been carved into it. _"My last client in the Jack the Ripper incident."_ Undertaker said, grinning. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw the name on the tombstone.

_Mary Jane Kelly._

"It seems she was an immigrant from over seas. We could not find a soul to claim her body." Ciel explained as he removed his hat once again, and handed it to Sebastian.

"_And so the kind Earl built a grave for the nameless whooore! And Miss Maid here gave me some chrysanthemum seeds to mix into the grave's soil. So she'll always have flowers blooming on her grave once they sprout, even if no one visits! Hee! Hee! Hee!"_ Undertaker said, grinning as he poked Ciel in the cheek. Ciel sweat dropped, obviously not pleased by the Undertaker's invasion of his personal space.

"... Even if she was a prostitute, she was still someone's daughter... She was still a fellow human being." Chêne said sadly as she stood up, and brushed the dirt off of her skirt. She had finished her prayers for Mary Jane Kelly and Madam Red's souls.

"I am not kind... I... knew." Ciel said, tightening his grip on his walking stick. _"I knew that I would be unable to save this woman._ If I had only... thought of her life first... There were any number of ways to rescue her that night. But I did not _attempt any of them._" He said solemnly. Chêne closed her eyes sadly. "_I knew_... that I would not... save her life." Ciel said. Sebastian glanced at Ciel. "I knew... and I let her die. Just as I let my only flesh and blood die..."

"... Do you regret it?" Undertaker asked Ciel.

"No. Jack the Ripper is no more." Ciel said seriously. "The pall cast upon Queen Victoria has now been lifted." Chêne furrowed her brow slightly and bit her lip as she held back her tears. She wasn't going to cry yet. Sebastian watched her out the corner of his eye.

"Queen Victoria, hm? Can't say I like her onnnne bit!" Undertaker said. "She looks on from afar... and makes the Earl handle aaaaall the tough dirty work."

"That is the fate of our family. It has been handed down for generations together with this ring." Ciel said, closing his eyes as he raised his hand to show Undertaker the family ring that he was wearing on his thumb.

"_That ring is practically a collar, hmm?"_ Undertaker said, grinning, as he placed his hands on Ciel's shoulder and leaned on the young earl. _"It binds you to the queen through chains of fate."_

"The one who decided to put that collar around this neck... was I." Ciel said, stepping away from Undertaker.

_GRAB!_

"_!"_ Ciel said, surprised when the Undertaker suddenly grab his tie and yanked Ciel closer to him by his tie.

"What're you—_!_?" Chêne said, startled. She took a step forward to stop him, but Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder, and shook his head, silently telling her not to interfere.

"I pray you do not hang yourself with it someday." Undertaker said darkly as he leaned down slightly and tilted Ciel's face up by his chin, so he could look the boy right in the eyes. Ciel grit his teeth and furrowed hi brow at the other man. "_I would find that gravely disappointing."_ Undertaker told him, smirking as he released his hold on Ciel's tie. Ciel coughed and loosened his tie again as he took a step away from Undertaker. "Feel free to visit me. _Milord, Miss Maid, and Master Butler are welcome anytime. Hee! Hee...!"_ Undertaker said as he skipped merrily off into the distance. It was just the three of them now... They were finally alone.

"Uuh..." Chêne sobbed softly as she finally let her tears fall. _"Uwaaaaaaah!"_ Chêne cried, screaming like a banshee as she suddenly collapsed to the ground, kneeling as she cried her eyes out, as if she were experiencing a pain and despair beyond imagination. Her heart wrenching cries echoed throughout the graveyard. Sebastian stared solemnly at her. He knew this was coming, but... Chêne's anguished cries sounded far too much like the screams of the damned for his liking. This was worse than he had imagined. Ciel stared at Chêne, shocked to see her suddenly break down so violently. Chêne had never been one to cry easily, but now...

"Wha—What's wrong_!_?" Ciel asked her, alarmed.

"I-It's just... _hic_... that so much has happened... All those women d-died... M-Madam Red, too... and I-I've_... I've lost my humanity for good...!_! It hurts—_It hurts so much!_!" Chêne sobbed as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "—But I know that I just sitting around and wallowing in self-pity and being depressed won't solve anything... So I decided that I would cry all I wanted to today. Today... _just for today,_ I'm going to cry until I run out of tears and scream until my lungs give out—So that when tomorrow comes, I'll have gotten it out of my system—and _I'll be able to smile properly again...!_" Chêne said determinedly through her cries of grief and anguish. "I'll cry your share too Ciel... because I know that you won't let yourself show any signs of weakness—_So I'll cry enough for the both of us while I'm at it!"_

"..." Sebastian said as he watched. He did not know how to comfort someone, and had no real experience in doing so. Chêne was usually the one who handled things like that, but now... Sebastian was not sure how she would react if he tried, seeing as how he was the main cause for her pain. It might simply make things worse if he spoke now... However, Sebastian had to admit that Chêne was much stronger than he had given her credit for. Most humans wouldn't be able to have the strength and resolve it would require to recover and to move on from such a hopeless situation, where their life was no longer their own, as she was in. He smiled slightly. The solution to purge all the negative feelings from within herself in one day, so that she could enjoy the rest of her life, was very like Chêne. She never let anyone or anything hold her back. She was a fighter to the core. He glanced at Ciel. Ciel furrowed his brow and stared down solemnly at Chêne as she kneeled on the ground and screamed and cried at the top of her lungs, like a woman possessed, venting all of her pain and frustration. Ciel tentatively reached out, and gently placed his hand on her head, not knowing what else to do. Chêne began to cry even harder, but she seemed to relax a little at Ciel's touch. His young master, as awkward as he looked, was doing his best to comfort Chêne, and was patting her on the head, like one would comfort a wailing infant.

"—You truly are kind." Sebastian told Ciel. As he placed Ciel's over coat, that he had been holding, over Ciel's shoulders. The sun was starting to set now, and a cool breeze was blowing. Sebastian smiled softly as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear.

"Do not make me repeat myself." Ciel said. "I am no such thing—"

"Oh, but you are." Sebastian said, smiling as he began to remove his coat. He knelt down beside Chêne and wrapped his coat around her. Chêne wasn't quite as sensitive to the cold now, but she could still get a chill if she wasn't careful. "Or would you rather..._ I address you as a 'coward'?"_ Sebastian asked, smirking darkly at Ciel.

"_...!"_ Ciel said, glaring at the demon butler, clearly disturbed by what he had just heard. Chêne had stopped crying, and was now staring at Sebastian, shocked. Why was he saying that?

"Heh!" Sebastian said, laughing cynically at the look on Ciel's face.

"You bastard..." Ciel muttered darkly, not the least bit amused.

"_Why did you not shoot?"_ Sebastian asked Ciel pointedly. Ciel looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "'Just as I let my own flesh and blood die...'? I do not approve of lying, Sir. Especially to one who has pledged their utmost loyalty and honesty towards yourself." Sebastian said darkly. He smirked evilly at Ciel, as he caressed Chêne's cheek, gently wiping away a few of her remaining tears. Since she seemed to have gained a small amount of comfort from Ciel's touch, he decided that perhaps he should try that approach as well.

"Wh-What...?" Chêne asked, eyes wide with surprise. The only reason she wasn't blushing too was because she was too distraught and surprised at the moment to register that Sebastian was _holding and caressing her_.

"You probably did not notice since it was hidden under his clothing, Chêne, but our young master had a pistol on his person that night." Sebastian explained as he brushed his hand through her hair. He glanced back at Ciel. "You could have simply shot her if you so desired. Instead, you hesitated, and Chêne had to save you by sacrificing herself. Even when I urged you to do so... You did not take up your gun. Why was that? Were you afraid to kill Madam Red... by your own hand?" Sebastian asked Ciel cynically, smirking darkly. His demonic eyes glowed like burning embers as he stared at Ciel. "Though you were able to send a stranger to her death, and nearly let Chêne die... You couldn't do so for your kin?" Sebastian said mercilessly. Chêne closed her eyes, furrowing her brow.

"That's enough, Sebastian!" Chêne said, gripping his wrist as he moved to caress her cheek. "What's done is done. Why are you saying all of these things now_!_?" Her eyes were glowing electric green again, showing just how raw she still was emotionally.

"..." Ciel said as he glanced at Chêne. He closed his eyes briefly before facing Sebastian again. "Because that was your job." Ciel told the demon butler, staring him straight in the eye. "I did not shoot, because I believed... that Chêne was strong enough to take care of herself, and that... you'd protect me even if you died doing so."

"...!" Sebastian said, eyes widening slightly in surprise. Chêne blinked, also surprised. She was glad for the vote of confidence, but... _she was only human_—or at least she _had_ been only human... according to Sebastian, she'd be able to heal almost just as well as him now.

"The covenant between you and I... _holds that you will assist me until I 'achieve my objectives'... and protect my life 'until that day comes to pass.'_ It would have been a breach of contract if I'd died there." Ciel said. "If it is a devil's aesthetic to obey a covenant... you would have come to my rescue even if you perished in the process. A devil possesses neither 'beliefs,' nor 'loyalty.' He has only his 'aesthetic,' his philosophy. And you will protect me in its name. Therefore... you would have killed Madam Red... thus saving me the trouble of having to do it myself. Isn't that so?"

"Then why... did you stop me?" Sebastian asked, still looking a little skeptical about Ciel's explanation.

"Madam Red defiled the public sphere with the powers of the underworld. Thus she must be judged in the proper place. And let's not forget, my duty includes saving the yard's face as well. Also... although I did not realize how severe Chêne's wound was, I had thought we could make her treat Chêne's wound until we were able to get her to a hospital, seeing as she _was_ a doctor." Chêne smiled softly. She knew Ciel cared, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"..." Ciel said as he watched a flock of dark birds fly off into the sunset. "Madam Red's eyes held doubt when she made her attempt on my life. I felt... that she... would not be able to kill her kin. If one wavers at any moment, it may very well be at the loss of one's life. Just as in chess. She hesitated and lost sight of her next move. That is all. _So I will not hesitate."_ Ciel said firmly as he brushed past Sebastian and Chêne. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly. A chill went up his spine when he heard Ciel's cold words. Sebastian glanced over his shoulder at his retreating master.

"... _So it must be..." _Sebastian said, grinning, as he stood and helped Chêne to her feet as well. "The king always uses his pawns to survive. Just like you used me, your knight, and Chêne, your bishop, and the Madam, your queen." Sebastian said, smirking darkly. "No matter how many corpses of his pawns pile up at the foot of his throne... The 'game' is over if the king falls... He must always remain standing." Chêne was suddenly struck with the image of Ciel sitting on a throne, dressed as a king. Beneath his feet were the bodies of all the people they'd ever met.

"I will never stop. Nor will I ever regret moving forward. So..." Ciel said, pausing as he turned to face them again. "... _I command you. Do not betray me. Always stay by my side... No matter what!"_ Ciel said firmly, illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset.

"—Yes... My Lord." Sebastian said, kneeling before Ciel again as he bowed. Chêne sighed. These two were so reckless. There was no way she could leave them alone.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ciel. I said this before, but... from the day I was born 'til the day I die, I'll always be on _'my side,'_ but I would never let anything happen to the people who are important to me. So you can count on me to continue to stay beside you and help you however I can as well." Chêne said, smiling wryly at the young earl. She didn't blame Ciel for her getting stabbed. Shielding him had been her own choice, after all. Ciel stared at her for a moment before turning his back on them, and continuing on his way. He didn't let either of them see the troubled expression on his face. Chêne's loyalty towards him, even after what he had ordered Sebastian to do to her, made him feel all the more guilty. Chêne was slightly puzzled by Ciel's silent treatment, but she decided to just let him be for now. He would tell her what was wrong when he was ready.

"Come on, Sebastian! We still have to make dinner." Chêne said, smiling slightly at the demon. After having a good cry, she was finally starting to recover her spunk. Sebastian stood and followed them. Ciel and Chêne didn't see it when the demon smiled softly to himself as he watched them.

'If you so wish... I shall accompany you until the very end.' Sebastian thought as he followed behind them. 'Even if the throne crumbles... and the shining crown rots away. Even if countless bodies pile up... There will Chêne and I remain upon the heap of carcasses... beside the little king who lies silently... _Until I hear the final call.'_

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><p>Author's note:<p>

I looked up chess on Wikipedia since I don't know how to play it, and I wanted to find a good chess piece that could relate to Chêne, like the knight does to Sebastian, and I thought the 'bishop' was kind of perfect for Chêne, since it's roughly equal to the 'knight' in value to the player.

In general bishops are approximately equal in strength to knights, but depending on the game situation either may have a distinct advantage. The bishop has no restrictions in distance for each move, but is limited to diagonal movement. Bishops, like all other pieces except the knight, cannot jump over other pieces. A bishop captures by occupying the square on which an enemy piece sits. Less experienced players tend to underrate the bishop compared to the knight because the knight can reach all squares and is more adept at a technique called 'forking.' More experienced players understand the power of the bishop, but a more sophisticated understanding is required.

Bishops usually gain in relative strength towards the 'endgame' as more pieces are captured and more open lines become available for them to operate. A bishop can easily influence both wings simultaneously, whereas a knight is less capable of doing so. The bishop is capable of 'skewering' or 'pinning' a piece, while the knight can do neither. A bishop can in some situations hinder a knight from moving. However, in certain positions a bishop can by itself lose a move, while a knight can never do so.

I thought this was fitting since Ciel relies on both of them for different things, and while Sebastian is more powerful, and agile than Chêne, she has her own strengths and serves as Ciel's emotional support.

The British chose to call the piece the bishop because the projections at the top resembled a mitre. This groove was interpreted differently in different countries as the game moved to Europe. In France, for example, the groove was taken to be a jester's cap, hence in France the bishop is called "fou" (the fool). Chêne often acts silly in an attempt to get Ciel to crack a smile (or to provide us with some comic relief). In Romania, the bishop is known as "nebun" which refers to a crazy person—kind of like how Chêne throws herself into danger, like a crazy person, for Ciel's sake, and how the others think She's weird because of her habits from the 21st century.

I'm sorry for putting such a long note, but thank you so much for reading! (^_^;)


	47. That Butler, Trick or Treat

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p>{October 30, 1888—Phantomhive Manor}<p>

"S-Sebastian...!" Chêne gasped, blushing shyly, as the demon butler gently caressed her face.

"My, my... Do not tell me you are still feeling embarrassed after all this time, Chêne?" Sebastian said, smirking devilishly at her. His crimson eyes glowed slightly as he gazed down at Chêne's trembling form. "I could understand a little nervousness on your part if this were your first time, but it has already been a month or so since we... _became one_." Sebastian teased as he pulled Chêne closer to him on the bed.

"!" Chêne said as she blushed cherry red from head to toe. "D-Don't—_Don't make it sound so dirty!_! Who 'became one'..._!_? We're just blood bonded—_not sleeping with each other!_!" Chêne yelled, flustered. "_And of course I'm embarrassed!_ Why do I have to sit on your lap whenever you give me your blood_!_? I'm not a little kid visiting Santa Claus!" Sebastian smirked. It was so amusing whenever Chêne was embarrassed like this. She said the oddest things. It was October now, and it was yet again time for Sebastian to give Chêne her monthly 'blood donation' as she called it. They were in her room so that there would be no chance of anyone accidentally walking in on them, since Chêne had her own room as a part of the 'senior staff.' "And why are we sitting on the bed? I have a chair in here, you know." Chêne pointed out. Sebastian gave her a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Because it is more '_interesting'_ this way." Sebastian said, smirking like a Cheshire cat. Chêne sweat dropped. What the heck was _that_ supposed to mean...? "But really, in all seriousness, you cannot reach my neck to drink my blood if I am not sitting, and you cannot get close enough to drink if you are on the other side of the room, either." Sebastian told her. Chêne sweat dropped. He did have a point... but...

"But why does it have to be from your neck...? When you changed me, you bit your hand, and then fed your blood to me, didn't you?" Chêne said, skeptically. Sebastian gave her another blinding shit-eating grin.

"True, but I do not see why I should have to wound myself _every _time. Although my wounds heal almost instantly, I find no pleasure in self-mutilation, you know. However, if you sit on my lap, and drink my blood by yourself, like a good girl, then we can both benefit." Sebastian said, grinning. Chêne sweat dropped and grimaced.

"You mean... I get 'dinner' and you get 'a show'...?" Chêne asked, frowning. Sebastian smirked at her in response. "Ugh... You enjoy harassing and embarrassing me _way too much_—You sadist!" Chêne muttered darkly. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before finally complying and positioning herself on Sebastian's lap. "L-Let's just get this over with..." Chêne mumbled shyly, blushing cherry red, as she reached up and wrapped her arms around Sebastian as she leaned closer to his neck. Her canine teeth elongated slightly into fangs.

_BITE._

Sebastian's demonic eyes glowed, and he smirked as he held Chêne to him, making sure that she was really drinking the full amount that she required, and that she was taking her medicine, like a good girl.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Downstairs, main kitchen}

"Mmmm~! The breakfasts Chêne makes us are always so yummy~!" Finni said happily as he spread more butter on the huge stack of pancakes Chêne had made for him. Finni and Chêne both had pretty big appetites for such skinny people. The others had three pancakes, since that was all they needed to be full. "I wonder where Chêne and Mister Sebastian went off to?" He said thoughtfully. Chêne usually ate with them, but for some reason, she had practically inhaled her breakfast before suddenly running off, and they hadn't even seen Sebastian yet that morning.

"M-Maybe they are having a tryst, yes?" Mei-Rin suggested, smiling and blushing as her nose started to bleed slightly.

"First of all, ain't it kinda early for them to be doing something like that_!_? And second, I thought _you_ had a thing for Sebastian... Why do you look so happy?" Bard said skeptically.

"O-Oh! W-Well... it's true that Mister Sebastian is indeed a very attractive man, but it's obvious that Chêne feels much more deeply for him than I do, and they make such a lovely couple, don't you think~?" Mei-Rin said, blushing happily. Perhaps Chêne would ask her to be a bridesmaid if they married!

"Uh... yeah, sure..." Bard said, sweat dropping. Well, at least there were no hard feelings between the two women, though Chêne didn't strike him as the type to have a tryst, especially not at _6 o'clock in the friggin' morning!_

"I bet their kids would be really cute~!" Finni said innocently.

"Ah, yes~! Their girls would look just like little porcelain dolls, like Chêne! And their boys would be dashing, like Mister Sebastian!"

"Hoh, hoh, hoh!" Mister Tanaka said happily as he sipped his tea.

"Don't count'ya chickens before they hatch, Mei-Rin. It's probably nothin'." Bard said, sweat dropping. 'Chêne, you'd better get back here before Mei-Rin names your first born...' He thought, chagrined.

"Are you all _still _eating?" Sebastian asked. The three stooges all jumped in surprise as they whipped their heads around to see Sebastian standing in the doorway of the kitchen, raising an eyebrow at them. He didn't look too pleased with them. Chêne stood behind him, sweat dropping, as she blushed a deep shade of red.

"How long have you been standing there_!_?" Bard yelled incredulously. They'd nearly given him a bloody heart attack!

"Long enough to hear _every awkward word..."_ Chêne said, chagrined, a she blushed. They had probably just given Sebastian even more ammo to use against her...

=†=†=†=†=

"Young Master, it is time to wake up." Sebastian said as he and Chêne entered Ciel's bedroom with a serving cart loaded with breakfast. After Sebastian had sent the other servants scurrying off to do their chores, (with the exception of Mister Tanaka, who was doing just fine, as always) they had prepared Ciel's breakfast, and were now ready to serve it to him and help the young earl get his day started. Chêne opened the curtains to let some sunlight into the room to help Ciel wake up faster.

Sebastian gracefully poured the tea and served it to Ciel.

"For today's breakfast, Chêne and I have prepared crêpes aux pommes with applewood smoked bacon and eggs 'over easy.' An assortment of fresh fruits, jams, toast, and croissants have been prepared as an accompaniment." Sebastian informed Ciel. "Which would you prefer?" Ciel sat up and yawned lightly.

"…Croissant." Ciel answered sleepily as he took the tea. "This aroma…Chai, hm?"

"Yes, I thought it would go well with the cinnamon in the crêpes." Chêne said as she walked over to Ciel's armoire to select his outfit for the day. She froze, surprised when she saw the new armoire that Ciel had bought to replace his old, worn out one.

"Yes, and we will be using the Royal Doulton dishes. Today, both the dishes and the tea set are in their Blue Willow pattern." Sebastian said. Chêne had seen them when he was looking through the company's catalog to buy replacements for the most recent set of china that Mei-Rin had broken. For some reason, she had been really excited and practically begged him to buy the set.

"And the schedule for... Chêne, what are you staring at?" Ciel asked her, sweat dropping when he saw how mesmerized she was by his new armoire. The craftsmanship was impressive, but it wasn't _that_ amazing. Sebastian glanced at Chêne. She was gazing at the armoire as if it were a long-lost friend.

"Ah!" Chêne gasped, as she snapped out of it and joined the real world again. "I'm sorry, it's just that this armoire looks so much like my old one that I was caught off guard..." Chêne said, rubbing the back her neck as she smiled wryly. Now it was Sebastian and Ciel's turn to stare. This armoire was large, carved from mahogany, had silver-lined mirrors, and was very, very expensive. It was not something a middle-class family could afford, at least not in their world.

"I thought you said your family was middle-class?" Sebastian said.

"Um...they are, why?" Chêne asked as she opened the armoire.

"This is only something that someone of my station could afford..." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. Chêne glanced back at the two of them, blinking.

"Oh! That's what you meant!" Chêne said, her eyes lighting up in realization. "Haha, no, no! The armoire was a family heirloom! My Grandma Willow (my Mom's mom) is pretty well-off, but my dad's side is totally normal! The armoire was a prize my Papère (my Dad's dad) won in a poker game. He left it to me after he died since I used to play hide-and-seek in it all the time." Chêne said, smiling at the nostalgic piece of furniture. She squinted her eyes slightly when she noticed something shining in the very back, just peeking out from behind one of Ciel's coat's sleeves. "... Was this new or used when you bought it?" Chêne asked as she stepped into it to investigate.

"New, of course... why?" Ciel asked, wondering why she was poking around in there instead of bringing him his outfit for the day.

"I can see a light in the back... I think there might be a hole in the back board!" Chêne called out to them. Her voice was muffled by all the clothing around her.

"Are you certain? It only just arrived yesterday afternoon, and I moved it myself. There was no damage when I last looked." Sebastian said, frowning slightly as he leaned into the armoire to look too.

"This is ridiculous! Are you going to dress me or not?" Ciel asked indignantly as he got out of bead and stalked over to them. "You can stare at it all you want after—"

_YAAANNKK—!_

"..._!_?" The all yelled in surprise in alarm as they were suddenly pulled in to the armoire by an unseen force. They heard the armoire doors slam shut behind them as they all felt themselves start to fall into a dark abyss.

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside the 'void'...}

"_Uwaaaaah!"_ Ciel yelled in alarm.

"Ciel! Sebastian! Where are you—_!_?" Chêne called out to them it was pitch black, and none of them could see a thing.

"Hold onto me!" Sebastian told the two of them. Ciel and Chêne felt Sebastian's arms wrap around them, and then, the frightening sensation of falling was replaced by a new one... It was strange… Instead of feeling as though they were plunging toward their doom, it felt as if they were floating. Chêne slowly opened her eyes again and saw that instead of falling down a hole, they were surrounded by strange lights that swirled into a vortex. Chêne sweat dropped. _Talk about déjà vu..._

"Did you do this—_What's happening, Sebastian_—_!_?" Ciel demanded, obviously unnerved by what was happening.

"Chill, Ciel. We'll be fine... probably... This is what it looked like when I accidentally 'fell' into your world." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "How did you get us to float like this, Sebastian?"

"I did nothing, other than hold the two of you so that we would not get separated. Our rapid descent slowed on its own." Sebastian said, furrowing his brow slightly. "... So this is what an 'inter-dimensional rip in the fabric of space and time' looks like..." He said thoughtfully.

"Chêne, you have experience with this—do something!" Ciel said nervously. This place was giving him the creeps. He didn't know how the two of them were able to stay so calm. Chêne gaped at him in disbelief.

"Like _what_...? Do I look like a magician to you_!_? Dammit, Jim—_I'm a maid, not a miracle worker!_!" Chêne said, hoping her joke would provide some levity in the situation. _It didn't._ Ciel and Sebastian both stared at her like she was losing it. She sweat dropped. "Oh, right... I guess you wouldn't get that joke if you'd never seen an episode of the original _Star Trek _before... and it was such a good joke, too..." Chêne mumbled in disappointment.

"_!_?" They all said, alarmed when they felt another force pulling on them again, and they started hurtling toward a bright light.

"Looks like this is our stop! Get ready for a rough land—" Chêne yelled as they were suddenly enveloped by the blindly bright light.


	48. That Butler, Trick or Treat2

**Author's Note:** Someone asked me what time I usually update at, and I think I usually finish posting this stuff around midnight where I am. I'm in the United States of America, and the state I live in is in our 'Central standard time zone.' I hope that helps some, but I don't have a real schedule for updating, since I just post as soon as I finish. (^_^;)

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_!_?" _They all said, alarmed when they felt another force pulling on them again, and they started hurtling toward a bright light._

"_Looks like this is our stop! Get ready for a rough land—" Chêne yelled as they were suddenly enveloped by the blindly bright light._

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><p>{Friday, October 30, 2013—Covington, Louisiana}<p>

_WHAAAM!_

"Hm?" A blond woman said as she paused her sewing machine and turned to look around the room, wondering what had caused the loud noise. It sounded like it had come from the room down at the end of the hall...

"It can't be—_!_?" The women said excitedly as she jumped up out of her chair and ran to open the door of the room in question.

=†=†=†=†=

_WHAAAM!_

Sebastian kicked the doors of the armoire open, and stepped out of it, setting Chêne and Ciel down. They were no longer in that strange void anymore, so they were probably safe, for now.

"Where are we...?" Ciel asked, as he glanced around the room. They had apparently just come out of an alternate version of his armoire, only this one seemed to be much older... it was well cared for, and looked as though it had been polished regularly. There were just a few nicks in the wood here and there. It looked like the room was being used for storage. There were clear, plastic containers full of miscellaneous items, and a few pieces of furniture that had been covered by sheets to keep the dust off of them.

"... I cannot say for certain, but it appears we have somehow traveled between alternate versions of the same armoire..." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"Um... guys...? I think I might have an idea about that..." Chêne said, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when she saw the items in the plastic bins. She walked over to one and opened it, pulling out an old, ratty stuffed animal that was on top of the other contents. She held it up to show Ciel and Sebastian. The two of them raised an eyebrow at her, as if to say 'So...? ' She held up one of the floppy ears, revealing the name that had been embroidered on it many years ago.

_Chêne LeBeau_

"... This is 'Dickens' my old stuffed bunny from when I was a kid... He was my favorite." Chêne said, smiling wryly. Sebastian's eyes narrowed slightly. They were finally in the world that Chêne had tried so hard to get back too... He hoped she wouldn't do something foolish, like trying to remain behind with her family once they found a way to return to the Victorian era. Sebastian decided he would never allow it. Chêne belonged to him now. He would bring her back with them. _No matter what_.

"But..." Chêne said hesitantly, biting her lip.

"But...?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"But... this isn't my home." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "This is my stuff in here, but we don't have a room like this in my house, and if you look out the window, you can see woods..."

"So?" Ciel asked.

"So, I'm from New Orleans, a city... and our backyard has like four trees, and they're myrtle trees... Those are American Long-leaf pine trees out there... they don't really grow in the city. If we are in Louisiana, we're probably somewhere on the Northshore, where it's more rural and less developed... like Abita Springs, or Covington." Chêne explained.

"In other words... just because the items in this room are familiar, does not necessarily mean that they are 'yours'..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. Chêne nodded.

"So what are you saying...? Are we in a _third parallel universe..._?" Ciel asked.

"Maybe? It's possible that we're still in your universe, but in the 'future'... and this is the home of your universe's 'Chêne LeBeau.'" Chêne said thoughtfully.

"That's impossible." Ciel said bluntly.

"I agree, Young Master." Sebastian said.

"Huh? Why?" Chêne asked, confused. How could he be so sure?

"Because if there were two of you, the universe would most likely implode." They deadpanned. A vein mark throbbed on Chêne's forehead. If she didn't know any better, she'd think they'd planned that.

"And just _what_ is _that_ supposed to—_!_?" Chêne asked indignantly.

_BAM!_

The door of the room suddenly flew open, revealing... _a blond Chêne...!_? Ciel turned blue with shock as Sebastian's eyes widened slightly. Oh, God_—there really were two of h_er_!_? Chêne and the newcomer stared at each other, shocked.

"M—_!_?" Chêne started to say in disbelief, when the 'blond Chêne' glomped her with such force, that the two of them fell to the floor.

"—_Ch__êêêêêê__nne~!_!" The blond woman cried happily as she hugged Chêne in a bone crushing hug. Chêne twitched. She was starting to turn blue form lack of oxygen.

'They... They know each other_!_?' Ciel and Sebastian thought, stunned.

"Ah." Sebastian said in realization. Chêne did mention that her younger sister looked mature for her age... Perhaps that's who this young lady is. "Excuse me, young lady." Sebastian said, smiling politely. The blond girl turned to look at him, smiling with the radiance of a thousand suns. "I realize it has been quite some time since you have last seen your sister, but it appears she is having a spot of trouble breathi—"

"Ah~!" The girl cried excitedly as she released poor Chêne. Chêne gasped greedily for the air she had been deprived of. She'd thought she was a goner for a moment there... "You must be 'Sebastian'! My, I see my mother was right! You're quite the charmer aren't you~! But I'm giving you fare warning now, flattery will get you everywhere with me~!" The blond girl said, winking playfully at him. They all stared at her, stunned.

"...Um... _Mom_... how do you know about Sebastian, and why don't you look surprised that _three people just mysteriously appeared in this room_—Does this happen a lot, or something_..._?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. Sebastian and Ciel stared at the blond woman in shock. Hadn't Chêne said before that _both_ of her parents were in their _forties!_? When Chêne said that the women in her family aged 'gracefully,' that had been the understatement of the _century_—was this woman drinking from the fountain of youth_!_? She didn't look a day over twenty!

"Mohh~! Don't call me that! It's only been two years, call me like you used to_!_!" Mrs. LeBeau said, pouting, as she gave her daughter 'sad puppy' eyes. Chêne took a step back.

"_No. _Don't you dare use _that_ against me—I invented those eyes, dammit!" Chêne said, covering her eyes with her hands to block out the sight of her mother's deadly cute eyes of hypnotism.

"B-But... you were gone for two whole years... and we had no idea where you were or what had happened... Do you have any idea how worried your father and I were...?" Mrs. LeBeau said sadly, sniffling as she held her face in her hands. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that. If they had no idea, then how did she know who he was...? Apparently, Chêne wasn't able to think as clearly when her mother was 'crying,' because she bought it hook, line, and sinker.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you... _PomPom_." Chêne said as she gently hugged her mother. She blushed out of embarrassment, avoiding Ciel and Sebastian's eyes.

'PomPom...?' Ciel and Sebastian thought, stunned. What on _earth_ could that be short for, and why was a grown woman insisting on being called such a strange name...? Chêne never did actually tell them her parent's names. She had always just referred to them as 'Mom' and 'Dad'.

"Yaaaay~!" Mrs. LeBeau, aka 'PomPom' cheered happily, smiling with the radiance of a thousand white-hot suns as she hugged her daughter back. "Oh, Chêne's just too adorable when she's embarrassed~!" The way She was hugging and nuzzling Chêne was eerily similar to how Lizzie usually hugged Ciel whenever she thought he was looking particularly 'cute.' Ciel and Sebastian sweat dropped. No wonder she was so good at dealing with Lizzie...

"A-Anyway, PomPom... how did you know about Sebastian?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. She decided to just let her mom get it out of her system, instead of fighting for her dignity... it'd already been shattered to pieces anyway.

"Hm? Oh, it's simple, really~ Grandma Willow 'saw' it! I know about Ciel too~!" Mrs. LeBeau said as she turned to look at Ciel, still holding Chêne. "He's such a cutie, just like you when you were that age... only he's a boy, of course." She was staring at him as thought he were the cutest thing she had ever seen. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head. Why was the part about him being a boy added in as an afterthought—like there was actually a chance he might've been a girl_!_? Sebastian smirked at him. Chêne sweat dropped.

"It's not what you think, Ciel... When I was twelve, I used to dress like a real tomboy... I even wore boy shorts... I my chest was flat as a washboard, too... So seeing a pretty boy is just making her feel nostalgic." Chêne explained, smiling wryly. Another vein mark throbbed on his head as Ciel blushed slightly out of embarrassment. He didn't want to be told he was 'pretty,' damn it!

"Yes~! Chêne was our little 'prince charming' back then~!" Mrs. LeBeau said, blushing slightly as she smiled wistfully. "As much as I wanted to see you wear cute dresses, like this maid uniform, I didn't have the heart to tell you not to cross-dress, since you were just like a mini version of your Papa~!"

"I was _not_ cross-dressing, PomPom_!_!" Chêne yelled indignantly, blushing. "It was just the shorts—_only the shorts!_ Everything else I owned was girl stuff! I just didn't want to have to wear short-shorts that barely even covered anything, and boy shorts actually have _real pockets_ that are capable of holding more than just _lint_ in them!"

"Short-shorts...?" Sebastian asked curiously. Chêne sweat dropped. He wasn't trying to picture it, was he...?

"But you never really wore any skirts or dresses either, until you entered high school..." Mrs. LeBeau said, pouting.

"My, my, you really were quite the tomboy, weren't you, Chêne?" Sebastian said, smirking. Chêne scowled at him. He was _not_ helping the situation one bit.

"Now, now, Sebastian~ don't tease her too much! Chêne had a perfectly good reason for it~!" Mrs. LeBeau said, fake-whispering in a conspiring tone of voice.

"Oh? Please, do tell, Madam LeBeau." Sebastian said, smiling politely. Ciel was starting to feel a little sorry for Chêne now that they had started to gang up on her.

"Oh, please, just call me Pomona~! You're my son-in-law, after all~! 'Madame LeBeau' is what people call my mother." Mrs. LeBeau, Pomona, said.

'I see, so that's what 'PomPom' is short for... _Son-in-law...!_?' Sebastian and Ciel thought. Sebastian managed to keep his poker face on, but Ciel turned blue with shock. _What the bloody hell was going on!_?

"Don't worry, my mother has visions, just like Chêne, and she would occasionally have dreams about you guys on 'the other side,' but the 'reception' doesn't seem to be very good, because she only caught you saying the words '—me for—until death do us part—'" Pomona explained. "... Or did we misinterpret it?" She asked.

"PomPom... that was—" Chêne said nervously, blushing as she tried to think of how to explain what had happened.

"—My proposal." Sebastian said, giving Pomona a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne and Ciel gaped at him, stunned. _What the heck!_? "I'm afraid we are only engaged at the moment." Sebastian said, smiling apologetically.

'_Since when...!_?' Chêne thought, blushing cherry red from head to toe. She knew that Sebastian was just saying it as a cover story, but still—_!_!

"_Yes!_ I knew it~! Not only did you snag yourself a real stud, but he's got a sexy accent too~! _Good job,_ PomPom approves!" Pomona said, pumping her fist in the air victoriously. "Your Papa didn't want to believe his baby girl was all grown up and getting married, but I knew my woman's intuition couldn't be wrong~!" She said happily.

'No, no, you're _completely_ wrong...' Ciel thought, sweat dropping.

"And don't worry, Sebastian, I already disarmed and removed to ammo from all of my husbands guns, so you're perfectly safe, for now. He'll be coming back here later, once he's finished with meeting the real-estate agent." Pomona said, smiling. "We're finally moving to the Northshore, like we had planned to do once you finished high school, and your sister was ready to start it, but we still have to sell our old house. Your father is going through all the paper work with our agent." She explained to Chêne. They all stared at her. She'd just told someone they might have a chance of being murdered in the same tone of voice someone would use to say 'Take and umbrella, it might rain today.' Ciel hoped this was just some more strange humor from Chêne's world.

"PomPom... even if it's the truth, there are some things you just shouldn't say..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "I bet you scare away all of Laurie's crushes that way..."

'_You mean that wasn't a joke...!_?' Ciel thought, glancing at Sebastian to see how he was taking this.

"..." Sebastian said, not quite sure how to react to that. He knew that there was no way Chêne's father could actually kill him, since he was only human, and he could understand why her father would be so protective of her, but that seemed a little... extreme?

"Oh, well I like Sebastian, so I thought I'd give him a fair warning... but you're right, I do say things like this on purpose whenever your sister tries to bring a 'boyfriend' home. She's only _thirteen_, and she doesn't even have your good taste in men. They're all so weak in character." Pomona said, frowning. "All I have to do is deliver a line like that, and they take off running with their tails between their legs. Sebastian didn't even blink."

'No, sorry PomPom, but this daughter isn't any better...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping, as she smiled wryly. If only her mother knew that she was in love with an actual _demon._..

"Ahem. You mentioned that Chêne was cross-dressing for a reason? I'm curious as to what it was." Ciel said, deciding he'd rather hear about that, this awkward subject.

"I wasn't cross-dressing!" Chêne huffed indignantly.

"Oh, yes! You see, in middle school, there was a boy Chêne had a teensy little crush on, so she started dressing up a little and wearing cute clothes, but then, on one of the days Chêne was wearing a skirt, he just suddenly walked up the Chêne, and threw her skirt up, in front of everybody, so they all saw her cute baby-blue soccer ball patterned panties!" Pomona said. She was smiling, but you could still sense the dark feelings behind it. Can you _believe _that little bastard_!_?"

"PomPom, please calm down... He only did it because they triple-double-dog-dared him too, and if he didn't, his friends would've humiliated him instead." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "... It's better that I found out he was a frog, instead of a prince charming, before I actually kissed him—"

_SNAP._

'Snap...?' Chêne, Ciel, and Pomona thought, glancing at Sebastian.

"_!_?" Chêne and Ciel said. Sebastian was wearing that eerily calm smile he had whenever he was in polite company, but was feeling the urge to murder someone. _'Was that the sound of his self-control snapping—!_?' They thought, alarmed. '_Why!_?' Sebastian didn't know why, but hearing that Chêne had been tempted to kiss that brat, when he could barely even get her to sit on his lap, pissed him off far more than it probably should have.

"Pomona, you would not happen to know where this cretin lives, would you? I wish to pay him a little _'visit_.'" Sebastian said, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Oh, are you going to avenge my little Chêne's honor? Excellent~!" Pomona said, smirking evilly. "He lives at 675 Chambe—"

"Okay, stop right there_!_! Sebastian, you are _not_ killing _anyone_ in this world, got it_!_? Remember how I explained forensic science during one of Ciel's science lessons? Well, humans have gotten a lot better at it over the years, and it's nearly _impossible_ to commit a murder without being found out and caught, so it's better if you just don't! Even if we go back, if they find a connection to my family, they'll be harassed by the police—and I _don't _want that!" Chêne said quickly, grabbing Sebastian's arm, and looking him straight in the eye to show him she meant every word. "Besides, Lacey already 'avenged' me, remember PomPom? She pantsed him, and then pushed him in a mud a puddle while I was busy trying to recover from my shock. His situation was way more embarrassing than mine, so no one really bothered me about that incident anyway, because they were too busy harassing him."

"Oh, that's right! How silly of me to have forgotten~! That girl really is a genius!" Pomona said, smirking.

" What do you mean by 'pantsed'... what did she do to him?" Ciel asked. _"Sebastian, I order you not to kill anyone while we are here."_ Ciel whispered. He knew that if anyone could commit murder and get away with it in Chêne's world, it was probably Sebastian, but cleaning up after such a mess would be quite a nuisance.

"Oh, that's when you pull someone's pants down, so that they fall around the person's ankles, exposing their underwear (or lack of) to the world." Pomona said smiling brightly.

"People don't really wear belts anymore, so it's easy." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"I see, so Lacey is ' an eye for an eye' type of person..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. He decided he would have to congratulate Lacey if they saw her.

"No, She isn't. Lacey is more of 'an arm and an leg for an eye' type of person. She was just too busy helping me calm down from my emotional trauma to do more damage..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Speaking of Lacey, how is—"

_DING-DONG! DING-DONG! DIIIIINNG-DOOOOOOONG!_

"Oh, someone's at the door..." Pomona said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

'Northshore' and 'Southshore' is how Louisianans refer to the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain.


	49. That Butler, Trick or Treat3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I see, so Lacey is ' an eye for an eye' type of person..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. He decided he would have to congratulate Lacey if they saw her._

"_No, She isn't. Lacey is more of 'an arm and a leg for an eye' type of person. She was just too busy helping me calm down from my emotional trauma to do more damage..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Speaking of Lacey, how is—"_

_DING-DONG! DING-DONG! DIIIIINNG-DOOOOOOONG!_

"_Oh, someone's at the door..." Pomona said, smiling like a Cheshire cat._

* * *

><p>"My, my~! I wonder who it could be~?" Pomona sang, grinning as she skipped out of the room to answer the door, pulling Chêne with her. Ciel and Sebastian exchanged a looked before deciding to follow. They were starting to think that Chêne might be the <em>normal<em> one in the family...

"W-Wait, PomPom—!" Chêne said nervously as she struggled to break free from her mother's iron grip. For some reason her mother seemed to occasionally possess super human strength when she got over excited, like a kind of 'emergency strength at the scene of a fire' type of strength. Chêne managed to grab the frame of the entrance to the hall, and held on tight. "Is it really okay for people to see us_!_? What if they start asking ques—"

"Oh, you worry too much, Chêne~!" Pomona said cheerfully as she struggled to get to pry her daughter away from the wall. "Sebastian, be a dear and answer the door, please~!" She called out brightly to the demon butler. Ciel sweat dropped, and nodded to Sebastian to just do as she asked. Chêne's mother looked like she was having great fun toying with Chêne, like she was some kind of life-size doll.

'... Actually, that might not be a bad idea...' Ciel thought, filing it away for once they returned, and he could get back to work on fixing the lame toy designs they had presented to him earlier. Maybe if he could give Elizabeth a life-size doll, she'd stop trying to dress _him_ up.

"Very well." Sebastian said as he opened the door.

"_Ch__êêêêêê__nne—!_!" A platinum blond girl, who had a streak of purple in her hair to match her purple eyes, cried dramatically as she flew into the house. This girl's outfit made the skinny jeans and t-shirt that Chêne had been wearing when they first met her look downright virtuous in comparison. Not only was she showing more skin than the prostitutes of the Victorian era, but she also had a _tattoo._ Was this girl some kind of criminal? She grabbed the first person she came to, and glomped them. "Oh my God! I can't believe you're finally..." The blond teenager trailed off when she realized that the person she was hugging was not soft, petite, and did not smell like jasmine... therefore, they were _not_ Chêne. It was Sebastian. However, instead of letting go, the strange new girl tightened her grip on Sebastian as she glared up at the surprised demon. "Who the hellare_ you_? _Where's my Chêne!_?" Lacey demanded darkly as she squeezed Sebastian until they started to hear his back crack. Chêne and Ciel winced at the sound, but if Sebastian was in pain, he was doing an excellent job of not showing it.

"Um... I'm over here, Lacey..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and waved at her crazy friend.

"Chêne, my love~!" Lacey cried happily as she dropped Sebastian like a sack of rotten potatoes, and pounced on her BFF. "Aaah... My oasis is back~!" Lacey said, sighing blissfully as she glomped Chêne. Lacey's smile was so radiant, that the air around her was filled with a sparkling aura.

'Another weirdo has appeared...' Ciel thought, chagrinned. Were all the people in Chêne's world insane?

"It feels like it's been forever since I last laid hands on you~!" Lacey cooed as she held Chêne. She looked like Sebastian when he was with a cat.

"I missed you too, Lacey." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she hugged her friend. "... But I think this could probably be considered rape in some parts of the world." Chêne deadpanned, sweat dropping, as Lacey copped a feel on her boobs. When Lacey glomped Chêne, she had knocked the petite girl onto her back on the floor, and Lacey was now laying on top of Chêne in such a way that, rather than a pair of friends, they looked like two lesbian lovers about to 'do the deed.'

"Quite..." Sebastian said in agreement as he stepped forward to remove Chêne from Lacey's clutches. He was smiling his 'scary smile' again. It irked him that Chêne was actually letting this strange girl touch her so freely. "Perhaps you should release—" Lacey hissed at him like a pissed off alley cat that thought someone was trying to steal her little mouse dinner.

"No! My Chêne!" Lacey snapped at Sebastian, tightening her grip on Chêne. Chêne sweat dropped.

"It's fine, Sebastian... I'm used to it." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "She's just 'recharging' she'll be fine in a moment... _I hope."_ Sebastian and Ciel stared at her. Chêne was normally so shy whenever Sebastian teased her, but she seemed to have no problem whatsoever with practically being molested by her female 'friend.'

"I know it looks suspicious, but don't worry, Sebastian—Chêne is completely _straight_—She's the very definition of 'heterosexual'~!" Pomona said, smiling. She felt like they might need an explanation after seeing the looks on their faces. "That's just how Lacey shows affection for someone~ the more she likes someone, the more she harasses them~! After sixteen years of friendship, Chêne had finally gotten used to it~!"

"Then why isn't she showing you any of this 'affection'...?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Hahaha~!" Lacey laughed, grinning at Ciel. "'Why' you ask? That's because Cpt. LeBeau— Mrs. P's hubby and Chêne's daddy—is a jealous man, and he can kill a man twice his size with one finger." Lacey said seriously. "I'm just crazy, not suicidal."

"I see... I almost thought Miss Lacey was 'gay' for a moment..." Sebastian said, feeling oddly relieved that Lacey was merely 'playing.' He had to admit, Chêne's father sounded rather formidable... for a human.

"Oh, no, Chêne's the one who's straight—I'm bi~!" Lacey said, smirking at him.

"Bi...?" Ciel asked curiously.

"Oh, my~! Chêne, did you not give Ciel the 'birds and the bees' talk yet? He's about Laurie's age, isn't he?" Pomona asked, frowning slightly. "Even if it's embarrassing, it's important to tell kids these things before they start 'experimenting' on their own, you know~!"

"_PomPom—!_!" Chêne gasped incredulously at her mother. "First of all, I _did_ explain all of that to him, and second—_just what kind of image do you have of Ciel_..._!_? He's a twelve-year-old aristocrat from the Victorian era! They only just started letting people dance the waltz in public, because they considered it to be indecent to have a man and woman dancing so close to each other! He's not going to go around _'experimenting'_!" Chêne said indignantly, blushing. Lacey snorted.

"Pfft...! And to think, that's probably the only 'innocent' dance we have nowadays... _Ha!"_ Lacey laughed, smirking at the irony.

"_Ahem._ Are you going to answer my question, or not?" Ciel asked, vein mark throbbing on his forehead as he blushed slightly. This was getting ridiculous.

"When someone says they're 'bi' it means they're 'bisexual'... as in, Lacey likes both boys _and_ girls~!" Pomona explained, smiling brightly. Sebastian and Ciel's eyes twitched slightly. Ciel's twitched because he was shocked and appalled that such a thing was even possible, and Sebastian's eye twitched because he was trying to remain calm instead of pulling Lacey off of Chêne. Why was this bothering him so?

"Th-Then... you...?" Ciel stuttered, trying to ask if Lacey had a thing for Chêne, but finding it difficult to bring himself to actually saying it.

"_No_, Ciel, I am not Chêne's lesbian lover." Lacey deadpanned, sensing Ciel's inner turmoil. It's true that she's my favorite person, but I usually prefer men. There's only so much you can do with another girl, you know? You can't even—"

"_Stop. Right. There."_ Chêne said, shooting Lacey a warning look. "You know I love you (as a friend) Lacey, but if you say one more word that'll mentally scar Ciel, then I'm going to have to smack you, got it? Isn't it enough that you've already corrupted me?" She asked, chagrined. Lacey stared at her for a moment. She sighed in defeat.

"Haaah... Fine, I guess you win... this time. Let me just cop another feel real quick, and we'll call it even. You're boobs have gotten bigger, haven't they~!" Lacey said, grinning. Chêne sweat dropped and blushed shyly.

"Y-Yeah... I'm about a 32C now..." Chêne mumbled shyly. Lacey and Pomona both stared at her, surprised.

"Did you hear that, Mrs. P~_!_?" Lacey asked Pomona excitedly as she jumped up, finally releasing Chêne, so that she could hold hands with Pomona.

"I did indeed, Lacey dearest~!" Pomona squealed excitedly as she clasped hands with Lacey.

"I take it you know what this means, then...?" Lacey asked Pomona, smirking.

"Oh, most definitely..." Pomona replied as they both turned to look back at Chêne, wearing identical evil smirks.

"_It's shopping time~!" _The two women sang as Pomona ran off to retrieve her credit card from her purse, and Lacey grabbed Chêne.

"Be back in time for lunch, Serpentine~! Remember to get the boys something they can wear to fit in~!" Pomona called out as she threw her card at Lacey, like it was a ninja star.

"Roger, Candy Apple! I'll have 'Eve' prepped and ready to go by noon, military time~!" Lacey said, catching the card as she dragged Chêne out the house before she had a chance to react.

_SLAM!_

Ciel and Sebastian stared as the door shut behind them, and they heard tires squealing as Lacey peeled out of the driveway again.

"So... would anyone like something to eat or drink? Raise your hand if the answer is 'yes'~!" Pomona said cheerfully as she raised her own hand and smiled brightly at them, as though she hadn't just let Lacey drag her daughter off to God knows where.

=†=†=†=†=

"... Hey, Lacey... I just realized something... Why aren't you in school? Isn't today Friday?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. They were already on their way to the nearest Target, on the I-12W.

"Well, it is Friday, but I'm in college now, Chêne. I'm going to SELU right now, in Hammond. That's how I knew you were there—You were within rang of my 'Chêne radar,' so when you 'pinged' on it, I just _had_ to drop by for a visit. I don't have any classes scheduled on Fridays, so it's all good. You would know all this if you hadn't gone off to a parallel universe tohave such an interesting adventure_ without _me." Lacey deadpanned, narrowing her eyes slightly at Chêne. Chêne sunk further into the passenger seat of the car, feeling a little guilty. Lacey probably would've loved chasing after Jack the Ripper with them.

"I'm sorry, Lacey..." Chêne said apologetically, biting her lip, as she looked sadly at her best friend. Lacey started at Chêne. Chêne looked just like a lost little kitten that had been left out in the rain. Lacey sighed. Chêne's natural 'sad kitty' eyes were even more lethal than all of her planned 'sad puppy' eyes combined.

"Fine, I get it. It's not like you can _plan_ something like that... but I have to say, your natural talent for getting into trouble just keeps escalating... You're defying the laws of physics now..." Lacey said, grinning wickedly. "Only you could pull that one off~!" She said, laughing. "What's next? Are you going to get bitten by a radioactive bug, and become a superhero?" Lacey joked. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Actually, Lacey... there's something I have to tell you... but you have to promise me that you won't tell a anyone, and I mean _anyone!"_ Chêne said seriously. Lace smirked.

"I'll take it to my grave, if that's what you want." Lacey said solemnly. If Chêne was this serious, it was bound to something good.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at the LeBeau residence...}

"Would you like some more pancakes, Ciel?" Pomona asked, smiling.

"No, thank you, but I really couldn't eat another bite." Ciel said politely. Pomona had been a very gracious hostess to them so far... this must be the 'Southern Hospitality' Chêne had mentioned before. So far, their status as 'guests' seemed to have granted them a kind of clemency against the same type of harassment she had been giving Chêne before... Ciel and found it rather strange that the two of them, who were strangers, were being respected more by Chêne's mother, than Chêne herself... not that he was complaining. These 'pancakes' were delicious. He should've let Chêne make them for him, instead of turning her down when she offered last time.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, Sebastian?" Pomona asked the demon butler.

"Thank you, Pomona, but I am perfectly fine. Are you certain you would not like my assistance for anything?" Sebastian asked, smiling politely. Pomona had barred him from using the kitchen, since he was a guest, but he had still managed to find a way to occupy his time. When Sebastian complimented the framed color photograph of Chêne and Jasper I hanging on the wall, Pomona had decided to show him the family photo albums. They were quite amusing. Not only was Jasper I quite the beauty, but there were several photos of Chêne in the middle of and after a few amusing mishaps... like almost being decapitated by the 'garage door' of their old house, and Chêne ducking as her younger sister's flaming marshmallow flew towards her head after her sister panicked and threw it away from herself without any thought of the consequences... little amusing scenes like that. In all the pictures of Chêne's childhood (aside from the ones of her as an infant), she seemed to be constantly smiling. She was like a little ray of sunshine... but there were a few where Chêne's bright eyes looked disturbingly dull, like she was just a shell of the mischievous and happy child she had been in the others... There were some nasty bruises on her small face.

"Ah, so that's what has you looking so thoughtful... These are from the days right after my husband saved Chêne from her kidnappers." Pomona said, smiling sadly as she looked at the album over his shoulder. That got Ciel's attention too. He stood up and walked over to see what they were talking about. He almost didn't recognize the young, depressed girl staring back at him.

"... What happened...?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly as he frowned. Chêne had once told him she went through a situation similar to what had happened to him _that day_, but she had never gone into details before. She had only said, that his situation was worse than hers, so he was right when he said that she would never be able to fully understand, and that she wouldn't insult him by pretending to.

"When Chêne was seven, there was a very small group of terrorists who decided to target a few military families... we were one of them, since Chêne's father is a Marine. I had left Chêne at home with a baby-sitter, since her sister Laurie was still a newborn, it was hard to watch both of them at the same time, and I had to run a few errands... but I should've just brought her with me anyway." Pomona said sadly. "After I left, Chêne went to go play outside in the front yard, and race the little makeshift sailboats she liked to make out of left-over plastic sushi trays, like she always did after it rained... and they took her. Jasper was with Chêne, so she tried to protect her. Haha... I heard from the neighbor that rather than just a normal housecat, Jasper had done enough damage to those bastards to rival a lioness—she was a much better guardian than that lousy baby-sitter I had hired!" Pomona said, smiling sardonically at the memory. "But she was still just one small cat against a group of three violent men... They pulled Chêne into the van, and threw poor Jasper under the wheels of their car as they drove off, killing her." Sebastian's eyes narrowed dangerously at that. He frowned. These terrorists were truly monsters... doing such horrible thing to such a majestic and valiant creature. "The neighbor who saw all of this was just an elderly woman, and since she couldn't do anything about it herself... She decided to call my husband and warn him, since he often helped with her yard, whenever he was home. The baby-sitter finally realized my daughter was missing, and called me a little while after that. I immediately called the police, and my husband on my cell phone as I rushed home, but he didn't answer me... I was so scared—I thought I was going to lose my baby forever, but... the next day... My husband returned, and he had Chêne with him." Pomona said, smiling softly as she gazed lovingly at a photo of Chêne and her husband. Cpt. LeBeau was a rather handsome, and solid looking man. Chêne had inherited his warm, chocolate-brown hair. He was cradling the young Chêne protectively in his arms. "They tried to make a video of Chêne, as 'poof of life,' but she refused to do anything they asked her to after they killed Jasper. They beat her when she wouldn't cooperate, but she still wouldn't give in... She's always been so stubborn..." Pomona said, smiling wanly. "... But she's always been a smart girl, too. She only listened to them enough to avoid being killed, and she managed to 'accidentally' break the camera so that they would have to get a new one... That's probably the only reason she was able to stay alive long enough for my husband to find her... all the other kids were too scared to fight back, and once the other members of the terrorist group made their 'proof of life' videos... they executed the children... Those bastards just murder those poor children, and dumped their bodies in the swamp like they were _nothing!_!" Pomona cried, wiping her eyes. Ciel clinched his fist. Chêne was right... her situation _was_ different from his. He had thought she meant they were different because she still had her family, but... Chêne was much younger than he had been when she had been taken, and yet... unlike him, she had actually managed to fight back against her captors on her own. Unlike Chêne, he had simply been a powerless child in the hands of the cult—just like the other children who had been kidnapped by the terrorists who took Chêne. Sebastian silently watched Ciel out the corner of his eye as they listened to Pomona's story.

"A-Anyway, my husband told me that after he called in a few favors from some of the guys who owed him one, he managed to track down the terrorists, and when he got to their base, an abandoned shack in Terrebonne Parish, someone was using a flashlight to signal 'S.O.S.' in Morse code. Chêne had tricked them into giving her a small flashlight by crying and pretending to be afraid of the dark, and since hitting her wouldn't make her shut up, they decided to humor her... just until they could make the video. They left Chêne locked up in a room by herself, with a guard outside the door, so none of them noticed when she started flashing Morse code through a hole in the wall. My husband had taught her Morse code so they could play a game by signaling to each other, so you can imagine just how proud he was when he saw her using it to call for help." Pomona said, smiling proudly. "Long story short, my husband _beat the crap _out of those terrorists, and saved our Chêne. The terrorists were handed over to the Louisiana branch of NCIS (a government agency that is like a Naval version of the police), and they shut down the entire terrorist cell. It took a while for Chêne to recover from watching Jasper die, and being kidnapped, but as you probably know by now, nothing can keep her down for long. That's why my husband wanted to name her 'Chêne.' So she'd grow up to be strong and dependable, yet still as flexible and playful as the live oaks in the New Orleans' City Park that Chêne loved to play on as a child!" She said, smiling brightly.

* * *

><p>Author's Note:<p>

The reason the think Lacey might be a criminal when they see her tattoo, is because people who were ordinary 'respectable' citizens and considered themselves members of 'polite society' would never have even dreamed of getting a tattoo, so only unsavory characters sported tattoos way back when.

Hammond and Covington are both on the Northshore.

Terrebonne Parish is in the very southern part of Louisiana, even farther south than New Orleans.


	50. That Butler, Trick or Treat4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Long story short, my husband beat the crap out of those terrorists, and saved our Chêne. The terrorists were handed over to the Louisiana branch of NCIS (a government agency that is like a Naval version of the police), and they shut down the entire terrorist cell. It took a while for Chêne to recover from watching Jasper die, and being kidnapped, but as you probably know by now, nothing can keep her down for long. That's why my husband wanted to name her 'Chêne.' So she'd grow up to be strong and dependable, yet still as flexible and playful as the live oaks in the New Orleans' City Park that Chêne loved to play on as a child!" Pomona said, smiling brightly._

* * *

><p>{Meanwhile, at Target, with Chêne and Lacey...}<p>

"... Let me get this straight..." Lacey said, staring at Chêne as she watched her friend flip through the boys shorts, looking for Ciel's approximate size. She figured she wouldn't need to get Ciel pajamas, since he hadn't actually had a chance to change out of his pajamas before they were spirited away by the armoire. "... You only let your mom think that you and Sebastian were an item because you don't want her to know that the real reason why you can't stay with us is because Sebastian is a demon, and he basically made you immortal, in order to keep you from dying, but in return you have to drink his blood, or you'll turn into a homicidal maniac...?" Lacey said, raising an eyebrow at Chêne. "You really outdid yourself this time, didn't you? What are you going to do next, ascend to godhood?" Chêne sweat dropped.

"Don't jinx me, please. With the way my life's been going, anything is possible..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "Besides, can you imagine me as a goddess? I mean 5'2" of weirdness isn't even good supermodel material, let alone goddess material."

"Yeah, having to listen to people whining about their wants and needs, and having to perform miracles all the time sounds like a pain in the ass too." Lacey said, smirking.

"True. I have my hands full just keeping up with Ciel and Sebastian... those guys are just as reckless as you, only Ciel is a danger magnet." Chêne said, laughing as she tossed Ciel's new outfits in with hers and Sebastian's. Chêne had decided to buy a ring to cover up the mark on her finger so that she wouldn't have to keep wearing gloves, and she had gotten a pair of black fingerless gloves for Sebastian, because they wouldn't look as strange as his white butler gloves would, and they would cover up both of his marks (her dad would _not_ appreciate the pentacle on his hand). They could always just say that his nails were black because of fingernail polish, since that would be totally believable in this world. In fact, Chêne was a little surprised by how few people were actually starting at her and lacey, since she was still in her maid uniform... Well, it was the day before Halloween, so that probably helped.

"Heh! And you aren't?" Lacey asked, grinning.

"The kind of trouble I attract is usually just stuff that could win me an award from _America's Funniest Home Videos_... Ciel's trouble is more like in the _Die Hard_ movies, where he's taken hostage every now and then, and Sebastian has to pull a few Bruce Willis stunts to save him, only he's a powerful demon, so it's more like a nuisance to him rather than a tense action film..." Chêne explained, sweat dropping.

"I see your point... but I gotta say, if all demons are as hot as Sebastian, then maybe I should become a Satanist..." Lacey joked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at Chêne.

"_Please don't._" Chêne said seriously. "I at least want to know you and family are safe. Getting mixed up with cults and demons isn't as glamorous as you'd think, okay?" Lacey pouted.

"Okay, _fine._ I'll stick to being Catholic... you happy?" Lacey asked her, smiling wryly.

"Very~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly at her sassy friend. "Let's go pay, and get back before my mom starts showing them the photo album that has that awkward baby picture of me butt-naked on a bearskin rug..." She said, sweat dropping.

=†=†=†=†=

{12:00, military time—The LeBeau residence}

"Oh, I almost forgot~! I put all of Chêne's most embarra—I mean, _cutest_ photos in this album." Pomona said, holding up a forest-green, leather photo album. "There's one of her naked on a bearskin rug~ She has the cutest little baby butt~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly as she started flipping through the album to find said picture. "Ah, here it is~! Look, Sebas—"

"_Over my dead body, PomPom...!_!" Chêne cried as she suddenly burst into the room, and snatched the album right out of her mother's hands before she had a chance to show them the photo. She had managed to make it just in time, thanks to Lacey for finding her family's spare key so that they could let themselves in. "You _know_ I don't like you showing this one to people! Why the heck do people want pictures of their naked babies on furs anyway_!_? Is it a caveman thing_!_?"

"You should just do what I did to all my baby photos a long time ago, and torch that sucker." Lacey said, smirking as she walked in with their shopping bags. "We can just go back out, get some lighter fluid, and—"

"Hah! I already anticipated an attack like that, and had all the non-digital photos scanned into our computer, and burned to multiple CDs~!" Pomona said, smirking victoriously. "I even have a copy in our safety deposit box~!"

"Curses, foiled again!" Lacey said, snapping her fingers in an 'awe shucks' kind of way.

"Yep. That's what happens when your mom is the wife of a Marine... she learns to always be prepared... especially when you _don't_ want her to be." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Oh, you're just saying that~!" Pomona said, smiling shyly (?) as she blushed.

"It's about time you got back." Ciel said, chagrined as he walked over to Chêne. "Where are my clothes?"

"Who shoved a stick up your ass, Shorty?" Lacey asked Ciel, frowning at him in disapproval. "I thought you Brits were supposed to be sophisticated. Where's our 'please' and 'thank you'?" Sebastian had to stifle a laugh as Ciel turned an interesting shade of red.

"Wh-What did you just call me_!_?" Ciel demanded indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Chêne sighed.

"Can't you two just play nice? Do I have to sick Sebastian on you, Lacey?" Chêne asked, smiling wryly as she shook her head at them.

"..." Lacey said as she stared at Sebastian for a moment. "Eh, why not? He can jump my bones any day~!" Lacey said, smirking mischievously.

"_L-Lacey—!"_ Chêne said, blushing at Lacey's racy comment about Sebastian.

"Haha, don't worry, Chêne! I wouldn't try to steal your _fiancé_..." Lacey said as she leaned in closer to say the next part into Chêne's ear. "... Especially since I can tell you really _do_ like him~!" Lacey whispered, smirking like a Cheshire cat.

"_!"_ Chêne said, her blush deepening as she glanced at Sebastian. He smirked at her, letting Chêne know that he had _indeed_ heard that part.

_CHAK._

"Honey, I'm home—" Cpt. LeBeau started to call out as he opened the door, and stepped into his new house. He froze when he saw who was sitting there in his living room, blinking in surprise. He looked relived to see Chêne, however... When he saw Sebastian, he narrowed his eyes and glared at the demon butler. Sebastian wasn't really surprised after Pomona's warning, and although he knew this was Chêne's father, and that he should probably 'play nice'... Sebastian wasn't one to just back down from a challenge like that. There was a burning competitive edge to both of their auras as Sebastian stared back calmly at the Marine, neither of them showing any indication of backing down.

'What the hell are you doing, Sebastian...?' Ciel wondered, sweat dropping. What were those two so fired up about?

"Daddy...?" Chêne asked, glancing cautiously at her father. He hadn't said anything to her yet, and she was starting to worry that he might be angry with her... not that she could really blame him after all the worrying she must've put them through after suddenly disappearing like that. Chêne's father gave Sebastian an 'I'll deal with _you_ later' look, and turned to face his daughter.

"I'm sorry, Dad, are you ma—_!_?" Chêne squeezed her eyes shut, surprised when her father, Cpt. Jean LeBeau, suddenly flicked her in the forehead. _Hard._

"_Of course I'm mad._ You suddenly disappear while we're on vacation, in a foreign country—I thought we'd lost you for good, _you little idiot_! You ever do something _that_ stupid and _dangerous_ like that again, and I'll have you drafted into the Navy faster than you can say 'SOS'!" Cpt. LeBeau scolded his daughter sternly. "That said... welcome home, Acorn." He told her, pulling Chêne into a firm but gentle hug.

"... I'm home, Dad." Chêne said, smiling happily as she hugged her father.

"Kodak moment~!" Lacey said, grinning as she took a photo of them with her cell phone.

"Ah, Lacey. I see you found the new hiding place for our spare key... _again._" Cpt. LeBeau deadpanned. Lacey smirked at him.

"How could I call myself the 'LeBeau Family Stalker' if I couldn't do something as simple as climb a tree, jump onto the roof, and remove a spare-key that had been duck-taped to the inside of the gutter? I'm a freakin' ninja, remember, Jack? There's a reason I took gymnastics with Chêne when we were younger~!"

"Wait... what?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow. They were going through that much trouble to hide their key? How did they even get it up there in the first place...?

"It's like a little game they play. Lacey finds our spare key, and lets herself in to our house... My dad hides the key in another spot... Lacey finds it _again_... It's been going on for years now, ever since Lacey accidently managed to break his antique Smith and Weston Colt revolver with pearl inlay in the handles (the type John Wayne had)." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Some people collect stamps, I collect guns." Cpt. LeBeau said, shrugging. "And don't call me 'Jack' you know it pisses me off. Just call me Cpt. LeBeau or Sir." He told Lacey, furrowing his brow slightly in irritation at her.

"Oh, come one~! 'Jack' is the perfect nickname for you!" Lacey said, grinning impishly, as she patted Cpt. LeBeau on the back. "Your first name is Jean, which is French for John, and Jack is a nickname for John. Plus, 'Jacks' is what they called sailors in back in merry old England, right, Ciel?" She said, winking at the boy.

"Don't try to drag me down with you..." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"Anyway, I'll stop calling you 'Jack' when you stop calling Chêne 'Acorn.' Do you know how embarrassing that nickname is? Who wants to be called a nut? And an inedible one at that?" Lacey said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Acorns _are _edible if you cook them right." Cpt. LeBeau retorted. "And Chêne's _my daughter_. I can call my children whatever I want."

"But you call Laurie 'Princess'... not that I want Chêne to have a sissy nickname like that, but why couldn't you give her a normal one, like that?" Lacey challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.

"... Lacey... if you'd been paying any attention all theses years, you'd know that my dad doesn't mean 'Princess' as a compliment. He only calls her that when she's being a pain in his neck. It's sarcasm." Chêne said, sweat dropping. Pomona nodded in agreement.

"She's suck a picky child... I don't know how she turned out so spoiled... She acts just like my mother." Pomona said, shaking her head. She sighed wistfully. "If only she had taken after her father in personality, as well as looks..."

"Anyway..." Chêne said, turning to Ciel and Sebastian. She handed the bag of his and Ciel's clothing. "I think it'd be best if we changed into our new outfits now, since it's lunch time, and we'll probably be going out to eat, right?"

"Yeah. You definitely can't go out like that." Cpt. LeBeau said, sweat dropping, as he looked at the three of them in their Victorian clothing (or in Ciel's case, pajamas).

"I already did, thanks to PomPom and Lacey..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"..." Cpt. LeBeau said as he stared at his daughter with a pitying look of understanding. "It's been hard on you." He said, patting her on the head.

"No more than usual." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"You boys can go change in the room with the armoire, if you'd like, and Chêne can change in Laurie's room." Pomona said, smiling brightly as she pulled Chêne off to show her younger sister's new room.

"I'll go too~!" Lacey said, grinning like a Cheshire cat, as she moved to follow them.

"I think not." Sebastian said at the same time Cpt. LeBeau said,

"I don't think so." The Marine and demon butler both reached out and grabbed Lacey by one of her arms, restraining her, to keep her from spying on Chêne while she changed. The two men stared at each other for a moment.

"Hmph." Cpt. LeBeau said as the two men smirked at each other. "Looks like we at least agree on one thing. You're not so bad... but I still won't just hand my daughter over to a devil like you." Sebastian blinked, feeling slightly surprised. This man was sharp... did he already figure out what Sebastian truly was...? "I thought you were just a player, but it seems you're more than just that... So I'll give you a fair warning now—If you make Chêne cry, I'll cut your heart out with a spoon and feed it to you, _capisce?"_ The Marine said darkly. Sebastian could tell from the look in the man's eyes that this was not just an empty threat... _It was a promise._ Sebastian smirked. This man had guts to talk to him in such a way.

"I would deserve no less." Sebastian replied coolly as he stared back at the man. Cpt. LeBeau stared at the demon butler for a moment longer, before holding his hand out to Sebastian.

"Welcome to the family, then." Cpt. LeBeau said, as they shook hands. Ciel sweat dropped. He was glad that the two of them had come to some strange understanding, but...

"Why a spoon...?" Ciel asked curiously. "Wouldn't a knife be better, since it's easier to cut with?"

"Silly Ciel, that's the whole point." Lacey said, grinning evilly at him. "It'll hurt so much more if he cuts his heart out with something blunt, and it'll be excruciatingly slow." Ciel grimaced. He decided it would probably be for the best if he stayed on Lacey and Cpt. LeBeau's good side...

=†=†=†=†=

"Whoaaa~!" Chêne said in amazement. Her eyes were sparkling as she stared at the _vast_ assortment of Asian food before her. They had decided to try the new _Super Asian Buffet_ restaurant that had just opened a few weeks ago in Covington. "Are those manju I see_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly, resisting the urge to drool. After seeing them in anime and manga, Chêne had always wanted to try one.

"Hahaha, I knew you'd appreciate that!" Lacey said, grinning.

"Manju?" Ciel asked curiously. He had never seen so much Asian food in his entire life before.

"It's a Japanese meat bun! Come one ya'll, let's go hit the buffet~!" Chêne said excitedly as she and Lacey pulled Ciel with them as the rushed to the buffet.

"My, my~! I see Chêne's still quite the little glutton~!" Pomona said, smiling, as she, her husband, and Sebastian calmly followed after the two girls and Ciel.

"You're the one she gets it from..." Cpt. LeBeau said, sweat dropping.

"True." Pomona said, smiling brightly as she heaped food onto her plate.

"You should try the General Tsao's chicken, Sebastian. They make it really tender here, and the spice is just right." Cpt. LeBeau recommended as he added said dish to his own plate.

"Thank you, I believe I shall." Sebastian said, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin as he added some to his own plate. Chêne had asked him to pretend to eat in front of her family, since they would definitely be suspicious of he didn't. It wasn't that Sebastian couldn't eat, he just found no pleasure in it, since his tastes lied else where...

"I think you'd like the fried rice and honey-garlic chicken, Ciel." Chêne said as she added it to his plate for him. The steamed dumplings look really good, too~! Lacey, do you see any good vegetables?"

"Meh, there's not really a big selection of those, but they make really good veggie tempura here." Lacey said, shrugging.

"Oh, I think I'll have some of that~!" Chêne and Pomona said, completely in sync with each other. Ciel sweat dropped. They were definitely related, no question about it.

=†=†=†=†=

"So, Ciel... I hear you're in the toy industry?" Lacey asked casually as she used her chopsticks to pick up and eat a sushi roll. "Make anything particularly awesome lately?"

"Not particularly, no..." Ciel said, furrowing his brow in frustration as he struggled to use his chopsticks, much to Sebastian and Lacey's amusement.

"Excuse me!" Chêne called out to the waiter, who had served them their drinks, as he passed. "Could we please get a knife and a fork?" She asked the man politely.

"Sure, dawlin', be back in a jiffy!" He said, smiling pleasantly at all of them.

"Thank you, Chêne." Ciel said as he set down his chopsticks, glad he wouldn't have to fool with the ridiculous things anymore. Although it was Chêne's job to serve him as his head maid, he had realized it was just easier to say 'please and thank you' rather than being nagged by Lacey... Who would have thought someone who looked and acted like such a ruffian would be so mindful of such a minor detail...?

"Really? Why not?" Pomona asked curiously, continuing his conversation with Lacey.

"The latest toy designs that my company's 'creative' team sent to me the other day were positively dull." Ciel said, frowning, as he recalled the 'lame' designs, as Chêne had so aptly described them.

"They've been in a creative slump lately... Maybe they need a vacation?" Chêne suggested. Ciel frowned in disapproval.

"Why should I reward them for incompetence?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I've told you before, Ciel. Creative minds need a change of pace every now and then, so they can refresh themselves—otherwise, they grow stagnant and rot." Chêne explained for the umpteenth time as she sipped her coke.

"Ooh... Listen to you, using fancy words like 'stagnant'~!" Lacey said, smirking. "You're getting all sophisticated on me, Chêne. Ah, Tish, you know I love it when you speak French~!" She said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at Chêne. Chêne and her parents laughed at Lacey's silly impression of Gomez from _The Addams Family_, but poor Ciel and Sebastian just glanced at each other, totally not getting the reference.

"That totally went over your prim and proper little heads, didn't it?" Lacey asked them, sweat dropping.

"Don't feel too bad, Lacey. They never get my jokes, either." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Huh, that's too bad... Chêne here is a comedic genius when she tries." Lacey said, smirking.

"That's what Undertaker said when I accidentally ended up inside of one of his coffins..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "That hadn't really been on purpose though..."

"..." Lacey and her parents said as they stared at her for a moment, picturing it... oddly enough, the image that appeared in all their minds of what had happened was spot on.

"Damn. I would've liked to have seen that in person." Lacey deadpanned. Chêne and Ciel sweat dropped. Is that all she really had to say on the matter?

"That certainly sound like our Chêne~!" Pomona said, smiling, as Cpt. LeBeau nodded in agreement.

"But who's this 'Undertaker' guy you mentioned? Is he an actual, honest-to-goodness undertaker, or is it an alias?" Lacey asked curiously.

"Undertaker is Undertaker." Chêne said. "It's his profession, so people just call him 'Undertaker'... Come to think of it, I have no idea what his real name is..." She said, glancing at Ciel.

"I do not know it either. Undertaker has been working with my family since my predecessor's time as the Phantomhive family head." Ciel said.

"He's been working with you for that long, and you never bothered to find out his name? Slow much?" Lacey deadpanned at Ciel. A vein mark throbbed on his forehead. Lacey was really getting on his nerves.

"Whatever the case, you'd definitely like him." Chêne said, smiling at her friend. "He keeps bone-shaped cookies in an urn, has miscellaneous jars of embalmed organs, and he seems to have a hobby of performing 'autopsies' on his 'clients' for fun."

"Sounds hot." Lacey said, smirking. "Maybe he and I should hook up, or I can at least get some pointers from him or something~!"

"Pointers...?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow. _Pointers for what?_ Lacey was already strange enough, in his opinion.

"Well, I'm studying to be a coroner, so talking to someone who has experience doing autopsies could be useful... like how far back I should stand incase of blood splatter when I'm saw through a person's skull, or—"

"Lacey... not while we're _eating_." Cpt. LeBeau said, nodding at Ciel, Chêne and Pomona. They looked a little green around the gills.

"Haha... eating with Lacey is probably the best method for portion control if you ever want to go on a diet, huh, Chêne?" Pomona joked, smiling wryly.

"Yeah, she'll kill your appetite every time..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. Cpt. LeBeau sighed.

"Check, please." He told the waiter as he passed.

=†=†=†=†=

{On the way back to the LeBeau residence, riding in Cpt. LeBeau's Ford Explorer...}

"Hey... I just had an idea." Lacey said suddenly.

"Really? Only one?" Ciel asked, smirking.

"Silence, you vertically challenged dwarf, I'm about to do you a favor here!" Lacey snapped at him.

"D-Dwarf_!_?" Ciel said incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"Since 'Grumpy' over here is having trouble with toy ideas, why don't we go to the mall in Slidell, and let him look in the toy stores. He might learn a thing or two while we're there." Lacey said, totally ignoring Ciel.

"... But won't that negatively affect the time line if he invents something that shouldn't exist in that time period because of it?" Cpt. LeBeau pointed out.

"Oh, but they're from an _alternate_ universe remember, Honey? Even if that does happen, it won't have any affect on us~!" Pomona said, smiling.

"Wow, PomPom... way to be responsible..." Chêne said sarcastically, sweat dropping.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I posted a pick of Chêne, Ciel, and Sebastian in their new outfits on my profile. I'm lazy, so Ciel and Sebastian's modern outfits will just be the ones they wore in the ova about 'the making of Kuroshitsuji.'


	51. That Butler, Trick or Treat5

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat 5<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_D-Dwarf!_?"_ Ciel said incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead._

"_Since 'Grumpy' over here is having trouble with toy ideas, why don't we go to the mall in Slidell, and let him look in the toy stores. He might learn a thing or two while we're there." Lacey said, totally ignoring Ciel._

"_... But won't that negatively affect the time line if he invents something that shouldn't exist in that time period because of it?" Cpt. LeBeau pointed out._

"_Oh, but they're from an alternate universe remember, Honey? Even if that does happen, it won't have any affect on us~!" Pomona said, smiling._

"_Wow, PomPom... way to be responsible..." Chêne said sarcastically, sweat dropping._

* * *

><p>{After carefully weighing the pros and cons...}<p>

"Fine, you win. We'll go to the mall... even though I really don't want to..." Cpt. LeBeau said, sighing in defeat. He could fight off ten men single-handedly, but he never seemed to be able to win against his wife's stubbornness. The defeated Marine did a U-turn so they could turn around and get on the right highway.

"Thank you, Honey~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly as she blew him a kiss from the passenger seat.

"Well, it's gonna be awhile... How about some music?" Cpt. LeBeau suggested as he turned on the radio and started flipping through the stations.

"Oh! Oh! That one! _Go back a station!_ Perfect!" Lacey and Chêne yelled excitedly as _One Night in Bangkok_ by Murray Head blared through the speakers. For some reason the two of them just _loved_ that song. It was an oldie, but goodie. Lacey and Chêne grinned at each other as they bobbed their heads to the beat of the oriental styled opening of the 80's song. They took a breath before launching into singing the song as the music abruptly changed to a somewhat techno/pop style.

[Lacey]  
>Bangkok, Oriental setting<br>And the city don't know that the city is getting  
>The creme de la creme of the chess world in a<br>Show with everything but Yul Brynner

[Chêne]  
>Time flies - doesn't seem a minute<br>Since the Tyrolean spa had the chess boys in it  
>All change - don't you know that when you<br>Play at this level there's no ordinary venue

[Lacey]  
>It's Iceland - or the Philippines - or Hastings - or -<br>or this place!

[Lacey and Chêne]  
>One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster<br>The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free  
>You'll find a god in every golden cloister<br>And if you're lucky then the god's a she  
>I can feel an angel sliding up to me<p>

The music was rather strange to Ciel and Sebastian, with them being used to more classical music, but Chêne's high, clear, soprano voice, that chimed like a silver bell, contrasted beautifully with Lacey's low and sultry alto voice.

[Lacey]  
>One town's very like another<br>When your head's down over your pieces, brother

[Chêne]  
>It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity<br>To be looking at the board, not looking at the city

[Lacey]  
>Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town -<p>

[Chêne]  
>Tea, girls, warm, sweet<br>Some are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite

[Lacey]  
>Get Thai'd! You're talking to a tourist<br>Whose every move's among the purest  
>I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine<p>

[Lacey and Chêne]  
>One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble<br>Not much between despair and ecstasy  
>One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble<br>Can't be too careful with your company  
>I can feel the devil walking next to me<p>

[Lacey]  
>Siam's gonna be the witness<br>To the ultimate test of cerebral fitness  
>This grips me more than would a<br>Muddy old river or reclining Buddha

And thank God I'm only watching the game - controlling it -

I don't see you guys rating  
>The kind of mate I'm contemplating<br>I'd let you watch, I would invite you  
>But the queens we use would not excite you<p>

So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage  
>parlours -<p>

[Lacey and Chêne]  
>One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster<br>The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free  
>You'll find a god in every golden cloister<br>A little flesh, a little history  
>I can feel an angel sliding up to me<p>

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble  
>Not much between despair and ecstasy<br>One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble  
>Can't be too careful with your company<br>I can feel the devil walking next to me

"Oh, I just love it when you girls sing that song together~!" Pomona said gleefully once the song ended. "So much better than when Mike Tyson sang it in _The Hangover_~!"

"I thought he did okay." Cpt. LeBeau said, shrugging. "He's no 'Chêne and Lacey,' but he did okay."

"Yes, that was quite lovely... What were the instruments in that song?" Sebastian asked curiously. He had been alive for quite some time now, but he had never heard anything like some of the sounds that had been in that song.

"Oh, it's just the usual guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and synthesizers usually found in the music of the 1980's~!" Pomona explained, smiling.

" What were those last two?" Ciel asked curiously.

"A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones. Synthesizers can usually produce a wide range of sounds, which may either imitate other instruments or generate new timbres. A keyboard can be used to control a synthesizer. It's also like an electronic piano." Chêne explained.

"Hmm... Interesting. Human technology has advanced in so many ways..." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"Wow, you never cease to amaze me whenever you start talking like a walking Wikipedia..." Lacey said, smiling wryly. "How do you remember all of this stuff?"

"Dude, there's so much stuff crammed inside my head, _I _don't even know." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

=†=†=†=†=

{At the mall...}

"So, which store should we hit first?" Lacey asked.

"I'm going to Williams-Sonoma store. Our vegetable peeler finally got too old, and broke, so we've been needing a replacement anyway." Cpt. LeBeau said, as he turned to leave. "Oh, well if that's the case, then I'll go with you~! Maybe we can get something for supper while we're there. Their vodka-tomato pasta sauce and some pasta would be good~!" Pomona said.

"I think KB Toys, Build-A-Bear, and the Disney store would be good places for us to check out." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"While we're here I wanna check out Hottopic." Lacey said, smirking. She wanted to see how Ciel would react to that one.

"Then let's all meet up here again at 14:30 (2:30 p.m.). We need to get back before your sister gets home from school, and finds out that we went to the mall without her... or we'll never hear the end of it." Cpt. LeBeau said as they all went their separate ways.

"Since Hottopic is just around the corner... Let's go there first!" Lacey said, smirking evilly as she dashed off, dragging with her Ciel.

"Hey!" Ciel yelled indignantly. Chêne smiled and chuckled lightly as she watched.

"I'm glad we were able to come here." Chêne told Sebastian, smiling happily as they followed them.

"Yes, I imagine you must be relieved to finally be reunited with your family..." Sebastian said thoughtfully, furrowing his brow ever so slightly. He hoped he wasn't going to have to drag Chêne away from this place kicking and screaming. Even if it was Chêne, there had to be a limit to how many times she would forgive him.

"Yes." Chêne said, smiling warmly. "And I'm happy because both of my 'families' are getting along so well. Ciel's getting to experience being treated like a normal kid for once, instead of 'Earl Phantomhive.' I hope he loosens up and has some fun before we go home, and he has to buckle down and go back to work." Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had just referred to the Phantomhive Manor as _home._

"I see." Sebastian said, smiling at her. It was Chêne's turn to be surprised. Sebastian was _smiling_—not his usual shit-eating grin—and actual honest-to-goodness 'I'm happy' smile.

"Sebas..." Chêne said, starting to ask him if he was all right, when she heard Ciel yell.

"Just what kind of place are you trying to drag me into_!_?" Ciel demanded indignantly as he dug in his heels, and fought to keep from being pulled into the Hottopic store. It looked like the entrance to hell.

"Oh, wow~! They really out did themselves on the entrance, didn't they?" Chêne asked as she casually strolled past them, and stood in the entrance the store. Ciel stared at her, like she had just done the unthinkable. "What's wrong, Ciel? You've been in much worse places than this." Chêne pointed out.

"Yeah, it's not like the store is going to steal your soul if you go inside~!" Lacey joked. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped.

'No, that's what Sebastian's here for...' They thought, glancing at the demon butler. Sebastian smirked, as if he knew what they were thinking.

"Anyway, there's someone I want to introduce to you~!" Lacey told Chêne as she finally released Ciel and linked arms with her best friend.

"Who is it? A new boyfriend~_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly.

"Yep. I want you to meet my man~!" Lacey said, grinning. "You'll like him, he's a unique and sexy beast~!" Chêne laughed and shook her head at her friend.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Chêne joked as they entered the store in search of Lacey's love.

"Ugh... what is that noise?" Ciel asked, covering his ears as he and Sebastian entered the store. _Coming Undone_ by Korn was playing over the store's loudspeakers.

"... I believe this is supposed to be more of the 'music' from this world, Young Master." Sebastian said as he looked around the store. Every inch of the store contained items that were strange even by this world's standards. It appeared that this store specialized in providing people like Lacey with outlandish clothing, music, and accessories.

"Well, it's giving me a headache! Let's find Chêne and get out of here." Ciel grumbled.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied, smirking at the boy's discomfort. He noticed a group of girls, who appeared to be around Ciel's age were giggling as they stole glances at them. From what he could hear over the music, the girls seemed to be complimenting Ciel's modern outfit, and gossiping about his eye patch, good looks, and who was going to get to 'hit on him.' Sebastian decided he should keep an eye on these girls... They reminded him of a group of hungry, feral dogs, and they were eyeing Ciel like he was a juicy steak made from a prime cut of angus beef.

"!" Ciel said when he finally spotted Chêne and Lacey. They were at the register, chatting with one of the store employees. _A very familiar looking store employee._ "S-Sebastian, is that who I think it is_!_?" Ciel whisper yelled at his butler. Sebastian looked to see what Ciel had been staring at.

Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. The man Lacey and Chêne were talking to was a dead ringer for Undertaker, only his long hair was much shorter (his shaggy bangs still covered his eyes though), and he was wearing a black _Alice in Chains_ band-T, black bondage pants, and black and white checkered vans... and was that a spiked _dog collar_ around his neck?

"Oh my, so you're the 'Chêne' Lacey always speaks so highly of~!" The Undertaker lookalike said. They even had the same gravely voice and creepy way of speaking... but that was impossible... no matter how strange he was, Undertaker could not be in two places at once, and as a human, he could not have lived from the Victorian era until the 21st century... So Sebastian decided that this man before them must be a descendant of the Undertaker of Chêne's world.

"Ciel, Sebastian!" Chêne called out, waving them over, once she noticed them staring. "Come meet Lacey's _Undertaker_." Chêne said meaningfully, letting them know that she had definitely noticed the similarities, despite her calm demeanor. Apparently, they even had the same alias too...

"Undertaker, this is Sebastian, Chêne's 'boyfriend,' and Ciel... yeah, just Ciel." Lacey said, smirking at Ciel as a vein mark throbbed on his head. She just loved messing with the kid. There was something loveable about him... even though he acted like someone shoved a pinecone up his ass most of the time.

"..." 'Undertaker' said as he stared at the two of them for a moment. He looked surprised, and almost looked like he recognized something about Sebastian for a moment. "Well then, it's pleasure~!" He said finally. "I'm Undertaker."

"It's his alias from the band he plays in, but he liked it so much, that he just goes by it instead of his real name now." Lacey explained, smiling at him as she kissed 'Undertaker' on the cheek. Undertaker grinned as he put an arm around Lacey's waist.

"So, is there anything I can help you with?" Undertaker asked them, being the helpful employee that he was.

"... We don't have to make you laugh in order to get you to help us, do we?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping. Undertaker smirked.

"It's like you already know me~!" He said, grinning.

=†=†=†=†=

"Geez, what's your damage, Ciel? You have something against my boyfriend_!_?" Lacey demanded, vein mark throbbing on her forehead, as they browsed the aisles of the KB toy store. After hearing his price, Ciel had declined 'Undertaker's' offer to help as politely as he could. He'd already had enough of that nonsense with the one back home.

"It's not _your_ Undertaker he has a problem with... I think Ciel was just a little weirded out because your boyfriend looks and acts like he could be a clone of the Undertaker from his world." Chêne explained, sweat dropping and smiling wryly. Ciel noticed that there was a display of a toy called a _'Heroic Helicopter.' _ It looked like stylized dragonfly, only the 'wings' were three blades on top that looked like they were supposed to rotate, and there were smaller blades on the tail. It had been painted with an American flag pattern. One of the toys had been removed from the box, and there was a big sign with flashing lights that read '_TRY ME!_' next to it.

"Oh, that looks fun~!" Chêne said, grinning as she picked it up and held it out to Ciel. "Here, you use the remote control to fly it."

"It flies...?" Ciel asked looking at the plastic toy skeptically.

"Uh, duh! Otherwise there'd be no point to even making a toy helicopter, right?" Lacey said, glancing at Chêne, who nodded in agreement.

"Have you ever seen an image of Leonardo Da Vinci's 'flying machine,' Ciel?" Chêne asked him, trying to figure out a way to explain it in way that would be easy to understand.

"No." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. He had heard of it before, but what did that have to do with anything?

"I have seen it..." Sebastian said. "But it failed miserably..." He mumbled to himself. Lacey perked up when she heard him, despite his hushed tone.

"You met Da Vinci_!_? Sweet~!" Lacey said excitedly. "I love that guy! He cracks me up—the way he wrote all of his notes backwards in Italian so no one would be able to read them... haha too bad we figured out his trick~! All you have to do is hold up a mirror and read the reversed image reflected in it, or get Chêne to read them! She read the words in the image of one of his pages that had notes on it in our art textbook one time, and it took her a moment before she realized the only reason she could read it so easily was because her dyslexia was acting up that day~!" She said, laughing. The two girls had opted to take Italian as their foreign language, so they knew enough to have a basic understanding of the Italian language.

"Well, I'm glad you were entertained..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"..." Sebastian and Ciel said as they stared at the two girls.

"Chêne... did you tell Lacey about me?" Sebastian asked her, slightly surprised. He wondered why she had told Lacey about him when she was trying so hard to keep her parents from finding out the truth...

"Yes, but don't worry! Lacey can keep a secret. She promised me she'd take our secret to her grave." Chêne reassured the demon butler.

"What if she 'accidentally' spilled our secret?" Ciel asked narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Lacey. She seemed to enjoy making his life difficult for him... Lacey grinned at him. That couldn't be good.

"Don't worry, Ciel! If I told, Chêne would be in trouble too, and I don't want that. I'm only out to screw _you_ over~!" She told him, smirking. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's forehead. He clenched his fists in anger and frustration. Lacey had no idea how _lucky_ she was that she was Chêne's friend, or he would have her _begging for mercy_ at Sebastian's hands by now...

"Anyway..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Just give it a whirl~!" She told Ciel as she handed him the helicopter's controller. It would just be easier to let him see for himself, rather than trying to explain.

"..." Ciel said as he took the remote and stared at it. The controls were labeled with the different actions they performed, so he didn't really need an explanation about that part at least. Ciel began pushing buttons and pulling the little levers on the controller. "!" He said, surprised when it actually started hovering off of the ground, and ascending into the air. "This is amazing..." Ciel said, impressed. He started playing around with it, smirking as the little helicopter flew around the store. Chêne smiled wryly. She was glad that he was having fun, but she hadn't really expected him to be so surprised when Funtom had already produced steampunk versions of a Nintendo DS... well, they hadn't invented planes yet in his world, so that probably had something do with it.

"Well, we've seen everything in this store already, so why don't we move on to this 'Build-A-Bear' store you mentioned?" Sebastian suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Lacey said, shrugging.

"Let's go, Ciel... Ciel?" Chêne said. They all stopped when they realized Ciel wasn't following them. He was still playing with the helicopter... Chêne smiled. Ciel might act like an adult most of the time, but he really did love playing games like any other child his age. "Why don't we let him play a little longer?" She said. Lacey and Sebastian already looked bored though. "Why don't you guys go check out the pet store while you wait? I'm sure they have some cute puppies and kittens you guys can play with while you wait for us." Chêne suggested. Lacey loved puppies almost as much as Sebastian loved cats. "I'll 'call' you when we're done here." She told Sebastian.

"Wait, how are you going to call us without a cell phone?" Lacey asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Sebastian and I can telepathically 'page' each other." Chêne explained, sweat dropping, as she smiled wryly.

"Hmm... convenient." Lacey said thoughtfully, smirking.

=†=†=†=†=

{At the pet store}

Lacey watched as Sebastian, an all-powerful demon, cuddled an adorable brown kitten with a slight hint of blush on his cheeks... She was never going to be able to look at him the same way ever again. He looked like he was Heaven. No wonder Chêne had suggested they come here.

"So... this 'calling each other' thing you and Chêne can do... is it like a mental phone call type of deal, or more of 'just knowing' that you need to go and where to?" Lacey asked Sebastian curiously.

"I would have to say it is the latter of those two options." Sebastian said, smiling blissfully as he played with the kitten's soft paws. "If we consciously think of telling the other that we want them to come to us, and our location, then they will feel intuitively that they need to be beside the one doing the calling, and will be drawn to them." He explained as he stroked the kitten's soft fur and gazed into its lovely pale-green eyes. It was also the runt of the litter, so it was a tiny little thing. Lacey's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she realized that Sebastian had basically picked out the kitty version of Chêne to cuddle with, out of all the other kittens present. She smiled.

"You really like Chêne, huh?" Lacey asked him, grinning. Sebastian glanced at her briefly before turning back to the kitten.

"She is certainly an interesting hu—well, I suppose I can no longer say she is human now, but she has always been far more tolerable than the majority of the many humans I have met over my lifetime, and she is by far the most entertaining." Sebastian said, smirking. "However, it is not the type of 'like' you are implying. Demons do not have 'feelings' in the same sense humans do." He explained. Sebastian had an unreadable expression on his face.

"..." Lacey said as she stared at him, contemplating what he had just said. "But from what you just said... even if they aren't the same, you _do_ have them, don't you_—'Feelings'?"_ Lacey said meaningfully.

"I wonder..." He said thoughtfully, smirking. His crimson eyes glowed slightly as 'mini-Chêne' (as Lacey had come to think of the kitten) yawned cutely and curled up in his arms.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I heard _One Night in Bangkok_ when it came on my radio while I was flipping through station in my car, and I was like 'OMG! This song would be perfect for Ciel since he's always making allusions to chess (like this song does), is jaded (like the sarcastic singer), and has adventures while investigating things for the queen!' I added a link to my profile for the music video of it so you can hear what it sounds like, but if you don't like 80's music, it's no biggy. ^_^

Also, I decided to make it so that Sebastian and company don't have a clue that Undertaker is a Grim Reaper since they aren't supposed to find out until much later in the manga series.


	52. That Butler, Trick or Treat6

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Trick or Treat 6<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_..." Lacey said as she stared at him, contemplating what he had just said. "But from what you just said... even if they aren't the same, you do have them, don't you—'Feelings'?" Lacey said meaningfully._

"_I wonder..." He said, smirking. His crimson eyes glowed slightly as 'mini-Chêne' (as Lacey had come to think of the kitten) yawned and curled up in his arms._

* * *

><p>{Back at the LeBeau residence...}<p>

The rest of their trip to the mall went off without a hitch, and they made it home with plenty of time to spare before Laurie, Chêne's younger sister was expected to be home once the school bus dropped her off at home.

"I think I will have Funtom launch a new line of 'build it yourself' stuffed animals, like at that Build-A-Bear store, for Christmas. The idea of allowing a customer to personalize their toys like that is quite novel, and it will be appropriate for children of all ages." Ciel said thoughtfully as he lounged on the sofa with Chêne and Sebastian.

Lacey was sprawled out on the loveseat, flipping through the TV channels while they talked business. Pomona was in the kitchen baking some chocolate chip cookies for desert after supper, and Cpt. LeBeau had gone back out to buy some last minute Halloween candy for any trick-or-treaters tomorrow night. Chêne found out that her parents had been planning on spending Halloween night and All Saint's Day on the Southshore, in their old house (since they _still_ hadn't found a buyer yet), but they decided to buy the candy now instead waiting, on the off chance that the stores might be sold out on Halloween... It had happened to them before, but Pomona had solved that little crisis by quickly whipping up some homemade caramel covered apples.

"Chêne, since the other designers seem to be useless at the moment, I want you to start working on designs for the possible base bodies for these dolls, as well as their clothes and accessories once we get back." Ciel told her. Chêne nodded in understanding.

"Sure. I'll work on the display and the plans for the 'stuffing-fluffing' machine while I'm at it." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Wait, I thought you were his maid, Chêne... why are you designing toys?" Lacey asked curiously, pausing on the Disney channel. She knew Chêne wouldn't be too happy with her if she put something that would mentally scar Ciel on...

"Chêne is also working as his consultant on the designs for posters and products for the Funtom Company." Sebastian explained.

"Yep, I'm Ciel's springboard. I get to test the toys sometimes too~!" Chêne said, grinning.

"That's awesome-sauce! You ended up being able to be a graphic designer after all, huh?" Lacey said, grinning, happy that her friend was doing so well for herself.

CHAK.

They looked over at the doorway as a tall, thirteen-year-old girl entered the room.

"Mom, Dad, I'm—_!_?" Laurie called out, freezing in shock when she saw the current occupants of the living room. Laurie had inherited Pomona's blond hair, but she was tall and a little tan, like her father, and she had his warm, brown eyes.

"Oh, welcome home, sweetie~! How was school~?" Pomona asked, smiling as she poked her head out of the kitchen.

"M-M-M-_Mooooom!_? Why didn't you call and tell me that _Chêne was back!_?" Laurie demanded incredulously as she threw her backpack on the floor, and launched herself at Chêne, making it the third time that day that someone had tackled her. "Yaaay~! My big sis is back~!" Laurie cheered gleefully as she sat on her Chêne's lap, straddling her older sister as she cuddled with her.

"Wow, Chêne, you're getting a lot of action today, huh?" Lacey teased her, smirking. Ciel and Sebastian sweat dropped. It was like Chêne was a magnet for the weird and over-affectionate.

"I missed you too, Laurie... but you're a little old to be sitting in my lap like this..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

"And whose fault is that? Because of a _certain someone_ I missed out on two whole years of cuddling with my beloved Sis!" Laurie said, narrowing her eyes dangerously at Ciel as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. They all sweat dropped.

"Laurie... it was a complete _accident_ that I ended up in Ciel's world. If anything, I owe him for giving me a job and a roof over my head..." Chêne said, smiling wryly at her sister. "The only reason I'm hear now is because he bought an armoire that had a portal to our world in the back of it..." Lacey raised an eyebrow at that.

"Geez, Ciel, not only are you planning on ripping off Build-A-Bear, but you already ripped off _The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe_?" Lacey asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I have not the even slightest idea of what you mean by that." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"Anyway, I know you love your sister, Laurel (maybe a little too much) but Ciel is our guest, so play nice, okay?" Pomona said, using her full first name, so Laurie would know how serious she was. "If you do, I'll let you stay up with Lacey and Chêne during their sleepover. Don't you want to sleep with your big sister?"

"More than anything_!_!" Laurie shouted, nodding eagerly. "I promise I'll be good! Please don't forbid me from being with my beloved (sister)!" Pomona smiled, satisfied with her daughter's answer, and returned to the kitchen so she could start cooking supper.

"... Am I the only one who thought that sounded a little wrong just now...?" Lacey asked, blinking as she turned to look at Ciel and Sebastian. The two of them sweat dropped, chagrined. No, it most definitely sounded _extremely _wrong.

CHAK.

Cpt. LeBeau stepped into the house, back from his shopping trip. Judging from the amount of bags he had, the Marine had decided to pick up a few extra things.

"Ah, I see you're home, Laurie. Why don't you change out of your uniform, so you can relax?" Cpt. LeBeau asked his daughter. "Sebastian, Ciel. Do you guys want to take your showers before or after supper?" He asked them.

"Thank you, Sir, but I think it would be best if we waited until after." Sebastian said politely. Laurie glanced at Sebastian with a critical eye, checking him out. She scowled at him, not liking what she saw.

"Tch!" Lacey said, frowning at Sebastian.

'Did she just click her tongue at me...?' Sebastian thought, wondering why she was glaring at him so hostilely.

"Dad, don't tell me you approve of such a lecherous looking jerk? Just look! He's already got a kid—he probably conned Chêne into taking care of that brat for him... even if he's super hot—I don't approve! Sis's purity is in danger, and he's not good enough for her!" Laurie said, glaring at Sebastian as she hugged Chêne protectively. Chêne and Sebastian sweat dropped. Lecherous...? A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head.

'_Bloody Amazon woman_...' Ciel thought darkly. Who was she to call _him _a brat?

"Calm down, Laurie. You can tell just by looking at them that they're not related... and no matter what you may think, in the end it's Chêne's choice. Just be an adult and be happy for her." Cpt. LeBeau said firmly. "If you guys need anything, I'll be helping Pomona with supper." He said before joining his wife in the kitchen

"Ooh! _Hocus Pocus _is going to be coming on in a few~!" Lacey said excitedly as the commercial for it came on. "Your raging sister-complex is going to have to wait for now, Laurie. Look on the Brightside, at least she got you a _hot _brother-in-law." She said, smirking. Laurie scowled at her.

"Sweet, you just can't beat the classics~!" Chêne said, smiling, excited about the movie. It had become a tradition for them that they would watch _Hocus Pocus_ every year for Halloween, and then have an 'extreme horror fest' where they watched a whole marathon of horror movies they rented from blockbuster and ate candy until they both had insane 'sugar highs.'

"Meh. I don't care either way, as long as I get to sit next to Chêne~!" Laurie said as she purposefully plopped down right in between Ciel and Chêne, separating them. She immediately latched onto Chêne's arm. Ciel decided to be the adult, and let Laurie have her way, for now. Chêne was planning on staying with him, after all, so he might as well let the two sisters be together while they could.

"It's settled then. We're definitely watching this~!" Lacey said, smirking as she set the remote down.

"_Hocus Pocus_...?" Ciel asked.

"Yes, it's a movie, like the _Wild Earl_ show you like to watch, but this one has a Halloween theme. It's about a group of kids who have to stop three evil witches, and save their town." Chêne explained, smiling. "I'll go get the popcorn~!"

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel had to admit, this movie was rather entertaining, and the artificial butter flavoring of the popcorn that Chêne had 'microwaved' for them was strangely addictive. He watched as Max and the two girls ran from the old Sanderson sister's home as the witches cowered in fear of the 'rain of death' from the fire sprinkler.

—_And we'll be right back after these messages~!—_

The popcorn Ciel had been about to eat fell from his hands as he stared at the TV, appalled. Right when the witches were about to 'melt' the Disney channel had switched to playing commercials. It was just getting good!

"Wh-What just happened_!_? Is it broken_!_?" Ciel asked, looking to Chêne and Lacey.

"Dude, chillax! Those are just the commercials." Laurie said, rolling her eyes, as Pomona came into the living room, holding a basket of apples, followed by Cpt. LeBeau, who was carrying a large tub of water.

"The show will come back on once the commercials are done~!" Pomona reassured Ciel.

"That tub... those apples... are we finally going to do '_that'?"_ Lace asked, smirking deviously as Cpt. LeBeau placed the tub down on the living room floor, and Pomona dumped the apples into it.

"Yep, it's 'bobbing for apples' time~!" Pomona said cheerfully. "We decided to make Lasagna, so you can play this while we're waiting for it to finish baking~!"

"Yaaay~!" Lacey, Chêne, and Laurie cheered.

"It's just not Halloween until I've swapped spit with Chêne~!" Lacey said, grinning. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Freak." Laurie muttered, grimacing slightly.

"..." Ciel and Sebastian said. They weren't going to dispute that.

"Be nice, Laurie. And Lacey, don't be gross... I don't need to be reminded of just how unsanitary this game is." Chêne said, chagrined.

"Don't worry, Chêne. We put a few drops of wine in the water to help kill the germs, but it's not enough to negatively affect Ciel and Laurie." Cpt. LeBeau said.

"Oh, good." Chêne said, relieved. She was feeling slightly germaphobic after Lacey's comment.

"Bobbing for apples...?" Sebastian said curiously.

"Yep. Basically, you stick your head in the tub, and try to bite an apple, so you can remove it from the tub. You can use any method, as long as you don't use your hands, and we play with a one-minute time limit per turn, but you can take as many turns as you like, until you get an apple~!" Pomona explained.

"Thank you for the explanation, Pomona, but I was merely surprised that this game is still so popular after all of this time." Sebastian said politely. The last time he had played was shortly after the Romans had conquered Britain. "I find it rather fitting to be playing this game with the present company, since this 'game' was created when the Romans conquered Britain, bringing with them the apple tree, a representation of the goddess of fruit trees, 'Pomona'." Sebastian said, giving them a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"My, my~! Did you hear that, Honey? I'm named after a goddess~! My mother never told me that before, she just said my name meant 'tree that bears fruit'~!" Pomona said, smiling with the radiance of a thousand suns.

"I don't have to call you 'Goddess' from now on, do I...?" Cpt. LeBeau asked, sweat dropping.

"With a flaky goddess like that, it's no wonder the Roman Empire fell..." Laurie said, sweat dropping.

"What was that, _Laurel_?" Pomona asked, giving her daughter that scary 'mom look.'

"N-Nothing..." Laurie said, sinking down in her seat.

"Cool, so how did the whole 'bobbing' thing come about?" Chêne asked. She hadn't heard this story before... probably because Ciel immediately shot her down when she had proposed it before, due to him being put off by the idea of 'swapping spit' with anyone else, before she could even mention it to Sebastian...

"The combination of Pomona, a fertility goddess, and the Celts' belief that the pentagram was a fertility symbol began the origins of bobbing for apples. When an apple is sliced in half, the seeds form a pentagram-like shape, and it is thought that the manifestation of such a symbol meant that the apple could be used to determine marriages during this time of year. From this belief comes the game bobbing for apples. During the annual celebration, young unmarried people try to bite into an apple floating in water or hanging from a string; the first person to bite into the apple would be the next one to marry." Sebastian explained.

"Wow... no wonder you always beat me, Chêne! You have more Irish blood flowing through your veins than I, Lacey Bianchi~!" Lacey declared dramatically. Her ancestors were mostly Italian.

"I'm mostly French though..." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Getting married because you bit an apple... how stupid. I like the tradition of determining that by catching the bride's bouquet better." Laurie said.

"... Which your sister will be throwing soon." Lacey added, smirking as Laurie glared at her, and Chêne blushed. Even if they weren't really getting married, Chêne couldn't help but feel shy and happy at the thought of being Sebastian's bride... She glanced at Sebastian out the corner of her eye. He looked rather amused by Lacey's little quip. Ciel was just glad that Lacey wasn't focusing all of her harassment on just him anymore.

"So... Who wants to go first~?" Pomona asked them, smiling, and deciding to ignore the tense atmosphere.

"Chêne." Both Lacey and Laurie said, pointing at her. Chêne sweat dropped.

"... You two really scare me sometimes." Cpt. LeBeau said, also sweat dropping.

"How about we just draw straws...?" Chêne suggested.

=†=†=†=†=

"Wow, Ciel, You get to go first, how lucky~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly at him. Ciel sweat dropped. He hadn't really planned on playing, but if he was going to be coerced into it anyway, at least he didn't have to 'swap spit' with anyone. They all had different sized straws, and the shorter your straw, the sooner you got your turn.

"So, the order is: Ciel, Chêne, Sebastian, Lacey, and Laurie. Good luck kids." Cpt. Dubois said as he sat in his reclining chair.

"All right, now let's get started, shall we~? First, we need to tie your hands behind your back." Pomona said, smiling as she held up a pair of fuzzy pink handcuffs.

"..." They all said as they stared at her.

"Aaaawkwaaard~!" Lacey said softly.

"Um... ahem. Honey... _Those are the wrong handcuffs_." Cpt. LeBeau said, sweat dropping, as he held his face, hiding his blush. Pomona glanced at the handcuffs.

"Oh... Oops~?" She said, giving them all a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"... What is that supposed to mean?" Ciel asked. Sebastian had a feeling he knew what was going on here... but he didn't know what the significance of the pink fur was...

"Bless your heart, Ciel. You're probably the only one in this room who doesn't feel slightly dirty after seeing that." Lacey said, sweat dropping, as she smiled wryly at him. Laurie was staring at her parents, horrified.

"_Wh-Why do you two have a pair of 'lover's handcuffs...!_?" Laurie yelled incredulously. Her eye was twitching.

"Laurie... don't ask questions that you _don't_ want to know the answers to..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she, like her father hid her blushing face out of embarrassment. It seemed that Chêne inherited her modesty from her father... Pomona obviously wasn't one to be shy.

"Did you think you and Chêne were immaculate conceptions, like Jesus? You're parents are human too, you know... But I gotta say, I didn't think Mrs. P was such a freak in the bed." Lacey said bluntly.

"_!_?" Ciel said, blushing and flinching in shock when what the handcuffs were for finally clicked.

"I'm going to go look for a scarf or something to use instead... and maybe I'll get lucky and some ear and eye bleach will magically appear..." Chêne mumbled as she got up and left the room.

"Thanks, Mom, thanks a lot. Now I'm going to need therapy!" Laurie exclaimed dramatically as she suddenly grabbed Ciel for support, like he was her security blanket, all past differences forgotten.

"Wh-What are you doing—_!_?" Ciel asked, surprised as he tried to wriggle out of her grip. Why did all the women in Chêne's family have to be huggers_!_?

"Just comfort me, dammit_!_?" Laurie yelled at him. Sebastian snickered. This was turning out to be highly entertaining.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

"Oh! That'll be the oven~!" Pomona said, smiling as she left to finish supper. "Honey, come help me finish the side dishes~!"

"Yes, dear..." Cpt. LeBeau said, sweat dropping.

"Okay, I'm back..." Chêne said as she re-entered the room, holding a black scarf, a towel, and an iPhone. "I didn't find any eye bleach, but I noticed earlier, when I changed in your room, that you accidentally left your phone in there... why don't you take your mind of off things with a mindless game of '_Angry Birds'_?" Chêne suggested sympathetically.

"I love you, Sis_!_! You're the only one who's never mentally scarred me in this family!" Laurie yelled as she switched from glomping Ciel to glomping Chêne.

"Here, Ciel. Let's put this awkward revelation behind us all, and play!" She said, smiling as she handed him the scarf. "I have a towel for when we need to dry off after."

"Shall I tie your hands for you, Young Master?" Sebastian asked, smirking. He took the scarf and began tying Ciel's hands behind his back.

"Laurie's right. You do have a lecherous face... you make an innocent game of bobbing for apples sound kinky." Lacey told Sebastian, smirking.

'That again...?' Sebastian thought, sweat dropping.

"Lacey... Get your mind out of the gutter, please?" Chêne asked, chagrined

"Okay, fine... since you did ask me so nicely, I guess I can attempt to be 'normal'... for awhile." Lacey said, sighing.

"You don't have to be normal... just don't be perverted." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Ready, Ciel? One... Two... Three—Go!" She cheered. Ciel leaned over the tub, and watched the apples floating around, waiting for the perfect time to strike.

"Just go already, you're eating up your turn." Laurie told him as she reached level 80 on the newest version of _Angry Birds_. Ciel frowned at her before finally dunking his head into the water.

"You know... I think this might be the longest commercial break, ever." Lacey said, sweat dropping as she stared at the TV. They still hadn't started the movie again yet...

"And... Time!" Chêne said, smiling, as Ciel stood back up again, gasping for air. Sebastian untied his hands for him, and Chêne handed over the towel.

"All that, and no apple... I thought you said Ciel was good at games, Chêne." Lacey said, smirking. Ciel scowled at her as Sebastian dried his hair for him.

"Wow... you look pretty hot when your hair is wet..." Laurie said, staring at Ciel, causing the young earl the blush, looking flustered. He was used to being called 'cute,' not 'hot.' Chêne raised an eyebrow at her sister, smiling wryly.

"I see you're finally interested in boys... but unfortunately for you, Ciel already has a 'special someone.' She's pretty cute too." Chêne warned her. Laurie pouted.

"Figures... all the good guys are either taken or gay..." Laurie said, shrugging as she went back to her game.

—_And now, we're back~!— _The Disney channel announced.

"About time." Ciel said as he sat back on the couch and continued watching the movie.

"Your turn, Chêne." Sebastian reminded her, smirking as he held up the scarf.

"Okay, I don't really need to see this next part anyway, since I now the entire movie by heart..." Chêne said as she put her hands behind her back so Sebastian could tie them. "Here goes nothing~!" She said, grinning as she immediately plunged her head into the tub.

"Just like that?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced over when he heard the splash. "How is she going to get anything if she rushes like tha—"

"It's Chêne's special lightning-blitz attack~!" Laurie cheered.

"No apple is safe~!" Lacey declared, smirking, as Chêne stood again, grinning as she held the apple she had bitten in between her teeth.

"Ah ghot whon~!" She said as Sebastian began untying her hands.

"How did you do that...?" Ciel asked. It didn't look like she was even seriously trying... Chêne let go of the apple, and let it fall into her hand.

"He who hesitates is lost, Ciel. You have to 'dig deep' in order to succeed in life." Chêne said, grinning as she took a bite out of her apple.

"That's deep, man." Lacey said, smirking. "I just love how you make little tips and hints for games sound like life lessons."

"Thanks, I try~" Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Yes, lovely. Now dry your hair, like a good girl, before you catch a cold." Sebastian deadpanned as he started to dry Chêne's hair for her with the towel. Chêne blushed and sweat dropped.

"I can do it by myself..." Chêne said, embarrassed. Sebastian smirked, amused by her reaction... seeing Chêne blush because of him just never seemed to get old.

"Well, I take it the game is finished since we already have a winner?" Sebastian asked, smiling one of his blindingly bright shit-eating grins.

"No, we don't really count it when Chêne wins. If we did, the rest of us would never get a chance." Laurie said, smiling wryly. "Chêne only wins if none of us can get an apple after two turns."

"That hardly seems fair." Ciel pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on! You just witnessed Chêne's apple ninja skills for yourself! She's invincible! Maybe Chêne should've been the one named 'Pomona'..." Lacey said thoughtfully. "Anyway, it means you still have a chance to win, Ciel." Ciel smirked at that. He wasn't going to fail a second time.

"Anyway, it's your turn, Sebastian." Chêne said. "Do you want me to tie your hands for you?"

"No. That is quite all right, Chêne. I am going to stick to the _original_ rules, so Miss Lacey may go next." Sebastian said. It sounded like the others weren't going to be much of a challenge anyway.

"Yes~! Tie me up, Chêne! Nice and tight~!" Lacey said, grinning, as Chêne tied her hands behind her back. Lacey closed her eyes and took a deep breath... then she kneeled down in front of the tub and practically dunked the whole upper half of her torso in it.

"!" Ciel and Laurie said, surprised.

"Geez... She just can't do anything normally, can she? Is that even legal?" Laurie asked, furrowing her brow slightly.

"Well, the only real rules are that you can't use your hands, and you have to bite the apple... so... probably?" Chêne said, shrugging. "Actually, I'm surprised no one else tried kneeling sooner." Lacey sat back up, holding an apple underneath her chin.

"Phew~!" Lacey said, grinning, as she let the apple drop into her lap. They all sweat dropped. Right after Chêne just finished saying it, too...

"Lacey... why didn't you bite it? You know you can't win like that..." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Yeah, but I still have another turn... I just couldn't get my teeth in it, but it'd be lame if I came back up without anything after giving Ciel a hard time, don't you think?" Lacey said.

"Yeah, good point..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Your turn, Laurie~!" Chêne said, smiling. Laurie looked up from her game. She was on level 83 now.

"Sorry, Sis, but I think I'll pass for now too." Laurie said, smiling apologetically. She was feeling a little germaphobic tonight.

"Heh. Looks like it's just you and me, then. Try to keep up, _Shorty_." Lacey said, smirking evilly at Ciel.

"Hmph. Fine by me. I will make you eat your own words." Ciel said darkly, smirking evilly at her as a vein mark throbbed on his head. It was time for some well-deserved payback.


	53. That Butler, Birthday

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Birthday<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Heh. Looks like it's just you and me, then. Try to keep up, Shorty." Lacey said, smirking evilly at Ciel._

"_Hmph. Fine by me. I'll make you eat your own words." Ciel said darkly, smirking evilly at her as a vein mark throbbed on his head. It was time for some well-deserved payback._

* * *

><p>{The next morning, at the local Waffle House...}<p>

"I still can't believe you actually beat me..." Lacey grumbled moodily at Ciel. Ciel smirked. Once he figured out that Chêne's hint had meant that he should quickly push one apple all the way to the bottom of a tub, and bite it before it floated back up again, it had been a piece of cake.

"You're _still_ upset about that? But anyway, you both _really_ suck at bobbing for apples. You had to take a break and then continue after supper before Ciel even got one..." Laurie said, sweat dropping.

"Yes, it appears your apple bobbing skills are just as magnificent as your talent for dancing. It warms the hearts of all who behold it." Sebastian said, giving him a shit-eating grin.

"You mean to say, 'it warms their hearts' because they're _laughing _at me, aren't you? I do not want to hear that from someone who didn't even try..." Ciel muttered, vein mark throbbing on his head.

"Good mornin'~! Can I get you folks anything?" Their waitress asked as she walked to them, wearing a perky smile on her face. Her nametag read _Darlene_.

"'Morning... I'll have coffee and the All-star Breakfast with scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, and the country ham." Cpt. LeBeau said groggily. He was not a morning person.

"I'll have the same, but I want my eggs sunny-side up." Pomona said, smiling brightly.

"I'll have a blueberry waffle and orange juice." Lacey said.

"I want a chocolate chip waffle and chocolate milk." Laurie said groggily. She wasn't exactly a morning person either.

"You can have the milk, but pick a healthier waffle. You're going to be getting enough sugar later tonight." Pomona told her. Laurie rolled her eyes at her mother.

"Fine. I'll have a _plain_ waffle then." Laurie said, disgruntled.

"I'll have decaf coffee and the scattered hashbrowns, 'all the way.'" Chêne said, smiling politely at the woman. She had enough natural energy already without the help of caffeine.

"I shall have a pecan waffle and hot tea." Ciel said. He had learned the other day that you had to specifically order it hot, or they would automatically assume you meant 'iced tea.' Personally, Ciel thought it was sacrilege to do such a thing to tea, but since the climate was much warmer here than in England, he could see why they have a might preference for cold drinks.

"I shall just have a cup of coffee." Sebastian said, smiling politely. The woman's face lit up when she heard their accents.

"Oh my, are ya'll tourists from England? I just love your accents~! Brits always sound so sophisticated! I hope ya'll have been enjoying your stay here?" Darlene said excitedly. Ciel and Sebastian sweat dropped. Why did Americans seem to have such an obsession with accents...?

"Yes, it has been quite... interesting, thank you." Sebastian said politely.

"Anytime, Dawlin'~! I'll be right back with your drinks~!" She told them, smiling brightly.

=†=†=†=†=

"So, what's the plan for today, Dad?" Chêne asked once Cpt. LeBeau had had a few sips of his coffee.

"Well, as you already know, we're going to the Southshore... whatever you guys want to do after that is up to you, but I thought you might want to go to The Mortuary, so I ordered the five of you tickets online. They're printed out and in my wallet, at the moment." He told them.

All three of the girls' faces lit up at that.

"Awesome~!" Laurie cheered excitedly.

"You rock, Dad!" Chêne told him as she and Chêne hugged him.

"You're the man, Sir~!" Lacey said, saluting him.

"What are you so excited about?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping. Who would _pay_ to visit a funeral home of all places_!_?

"The Mortuary is an old funeral home that was turned into a haunted house! It's not only full of scary fake monsters, but it's certifiably haunted by real ghosts~!" Lacey said, grinning.

"Then why are you so excited?" Sebastian asked Chêne, feeling slightly confused. "I thought you were afraid of ghosts."

"I am, but there'll be lots of other people around so I won't be alone with it, and it's Halloween... I'm in the mood for a little scare, you know?" Chêne said, grinning impishly.

"I really cannot understand you people." Ciel said bluntly. Again, why would anyone pay to be scared?

"Yeah, we're a mystery to normal peeps. That's just how we roll~!" Lacey said, grinning as Darlene returned and served their food.

"Bon Appétit~! If ya'll need anythin' else, just holler at me, 'kay?" She told them, smiling, before walking away to take another table's order. Ciel and Sebastian stared at Chêne's breakfast. It looked like pigs' slop.

"What is _that_?" Ciel asked, appalled, as he watched Chêne began to eat it without the slightest bit of hesitation.

"It's hashbrowns 'all the way,' Ciel. That means they pretty much put every thing but the kitchen sink on it." Chêne said, amused by the look on his face. "It' hashbrowns, tomatoes, ham, cheese, onions, mushrooms, jalapeños, white gravy, and chili. It might look a little gross, but it's delicious~!" Lacey snorted.

"Just 'a little,' Chêne? I think it looks like dog barf." Lacey said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"..." They all said as they stared at her.

"Yeah... thanks for that _lovely_ image Lacey. Can I hit you now for ruining my appetite?" Laurie said sarcastically as she narrowed her eyes at the strange girl.

"At least she's not talking about dissections this time..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

=†=†=†=†=

{On the Causeway bridge, riding in the Ford explorer again...}

"Music, Maestro~!" Lacey requested as they began the long and boring ride across Lake Ponchartrain. There was nothing to see for miles, except lots of lake and blue sky... there weren't even any clouds today.

"You got it~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly as she turned on the radio, and _I'm Alive_ by Becca blared through the speakers.

"_Yeees~!"_ The three girls cheered excitedly as they sang along.

[Lacey]  
>Nothing I say comes out right<br>I can't love without a fight  
>No one ever knows my name<br>When I pray for sun, it rains  
>I'm so sick of wasting time<br>But nothings moving in my mind  
>Inspiration can't be found<br>I get up and fall but...

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]  
>I'm ALIVE!<br>I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah  
>Between the good and bad's where you'll find me<br>Reaching for heaven  
>I will fight<br>And I'll sleep when I die  
>I live, My life, I'm ALIVE!<p>

Sebastian felt that there was something familiar about this song, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it... but this song definitely had 'Chêne' written all over it.

[Laurie]  
>Every lover breaks my heart<br>And I know it from the start  
>Still I end up in a mess<br>Every time I second Guess  
>All my friend's just run away<br>When I'm having a bad day  
>I would rather stay in bed<br>But I know there's a reason...

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]  
>I'm ALIVE!<br>I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah  
>Between the good and bad's where you'll find me<br>Reaching for heaven  
>I will fight<br>And I'll sleep when I die  
>I live, My life, I'm ALIVE!<p>

[Chêne]  
>When I'm bored to death at home<br>When he won't pick up the phone  
>When I'm stuck in second place<br>Those regrets I can't erase  
>Only I can change the end<br>Of the movie in my head  
>There's no time for misery<br>I won't feel sorry for me

[Chêne, Lacey, and Laurie]  
>I'm ALIVE!<br>I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah  
>Between the good and bad's where you'll find me<br>Reaching for heaven  
>I will fight<br>And I'll sleep when I die  
>I live, My life, ohh!<p>

I'm ALIVE!  
>I'm ALIVE! Oh, yeah<br>Between the good and bad's where you'll find me  
>Reaching for heaven<br>I will fight  
>And I'll sleep when I die<br>I live, my hard life,  
>I live, my life<br>I'm ALIVE!

"Phew~! I haven't heard that one in a long time!" Lacey said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'm kind of surprised they played it on the radio." Laurie said, nodding in agreement.

"That's because it's not actually playing on the radio... I put in one of Chêne's CDs before we left the house~!" Pomona said, smiling.

"That's cool. Chêne has pretty eclectic and wide tastes when it comes to music, so there should be something everyone likes on it." Lacey said, smirking.

"Ah, stop, you're making me blush~!" Chêne joked, batting her eyelashes, and smiling.

"I see... it looks like we'll finally get to hear the music that goes with the songs you were always singing." Sebastian said, giving her a brilliant shit-eating grin. She often sang songs from her world, but she had told him that the originals sounded better since she had a 'choir voice' and couldn't sing the 'rock' songs right. _I'm Not Sick But I'm Not Well_ by Blink 182 came on. Lacey and Chêne grinned at each other.

"Yes~! This is _my_ theme song~!" Lacey said, smirking.

[Lacey]

I had visions, I was in them  
>I was looking into the mirror<br>To see a little bit clearer  
>The rottenness and evil in me<p>

Fingertips have memories  
>Mine can't forget the curves of your body<br>And when I feel a bit naughty  
>I run it up the flagpole and see who salutes<br>[Chêne] (but no one ever does)

[Chêne and Lacey]  
>I'm not sick but I'm not well<br>And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell

[Lacey]  
>Been around the world and found<br>That only stupid people are breeding  
>The cretins cloning and feeding<br>And I don't even own a tv

Put me in the hospital for nerves  
>And then they had to commit me<br>You told them all I was crazy  
>They cut off my legs now I'm an amputee, goddamn you<p>

[Chêne and Lacey]  
>I'm not sick but I'm not well<br>And I'm so hot cause i'm in hell  
>I'm not sick but I'm not well<br>And it's a sin to live so well

I wanna publish zines  
>And rage against machines<br>I wanna pierce my tongue  
>It doesn't hurt, it feels fine<br>The trivial sublime  
>I'd like to turn off time<br>And kill my mind  
>You kill my mind<p>

[Lacey]  
>Paranoia paranoia<br>Everybody's coming to get me  
>Just say you never met me<br>I'm running under ground with the moles  
>[Chêne] (Diggin' big holes)<br>[Lacey] Hear the voices in my head  
>I swear to god it sounds like they're snoring<br>But if you're bored then you're boring  
>The agony and the irony, they're killing me<p>

[Chêne and Lacey]  
>I'm not sick but I'm not well<br>And I'm so hot cause I'm in hell  
>I'm not sick but I'm not well<br>And it's a sin to live so well

"Yep. That is definitely a song that was tailor made for you..." Laurie told Lacey as she and Ciel sweat dropped. What a weird song. Sebastian found it interesting that Chêne seemed to have no problem with singing words she wouldn't normally say when they were set to a 'good rhythm' as she put it.

"Oh, look girls, we're finally on the Southshore now~!" Pomona said brightly. "Anywhere you want to go before we head home?"

"I vote we go to the movie theater and watch _Saw XI_!" Lacey said, grinning deviously. "It's not Halloween until you've watched a scary movie~!"

"They made even _more_ of those things..._!_?" Chêne asked, disturbed. "We are _not_ watching that! I have enough mental scarring from when you tricked me into watch the first one with you!" Chêne said firmly, narrowing her eyes slightly at Lacey. "Why don't you pick a scary movie, Laurie? I can trust you on this." Laurie's eyes lit up at her sister's praise. If she were a puppy, her tail would definitely be wagging at that moment.

"How about _Final destination 10_?" Laurie suggested. It's a little gory, but nowhere near as mentally scarring as _Saw_." Chêne sweat dropped.

"They still haven't run out of weird and 'creative' ways to kill people...?" Chêne asked. She didn't know whether she was more impressed or disturbed by the people who made these movies.

"Wait... _what!_?" Ciel asked, thinking he had to have misheard that. Were they seriously going to watch people _die_ for entertainment_!_?

"..." Sebastian said. 'It seems that rather than evolving... human's seemed to have returned to a more primitive sate of mind, like when they used to watch gladiators slaughter each other for entertainment in the coliseum.' He thought. He hadn't expected this from Chêne... she was normally such a 'bleeding heart'...

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel flinched as another one of the characters on screen died. While going home with a friend after 'drowning her sorrows' in a bar, after her boyfriend was claimed by death, the woman took off her high heels and stepped barefoot into a puddle that had a live wire in it and was electrocuted. This movie was sick and twisted. Chêne had repeatedly reassured him before the movie started that it was all completely fake, and the actors were perfectly fine. He hadn't understood at the time why she kept warning him. He knew it was just a show, but now he understood. It had a somewhat interesting plot, but he could do without some of the gore... it just looked too realistic with the 'special effects' and high quality of the colored film. _It was like it was really happening_. Sebastian looked rather blasé about the whole thing. He'd seen worse.

=†=†=†=†=

"How can you people watch something like that...?" Ciel asked, slightly pale as they left the theater.

"Because it's interesting to see the blood splatter?" Lacey said, tilting her head to the side. "..." They all said, sweat dropping.

"The reason why we can watch it without being horrified is because we _know_ it not real. If it were really happening, there's no way people would just be able to calmly sit and watch someone die like that." Chêne explained. "It's like with ghost stories—people tell them because they're fascinated by things they don't understand... and death is one of those things. 'Why do we have to die?' and 'What happens when we do?' are a mystery science hasn't been able to answer."

"Humans as a whole have always had a macabre fascination with death." Cpt. LeBeau added.

"Yes, I have noticed that as well." Sebastian said, smirking slightly.

"Anyway, it's lunchtime~!" Pomona said, smiling brightly. "Who's hungry~!"

"Me~!" The three girls chimed. Ciel sweat dropped. How could they be hungry after seeing all that?

=†=†=†=†=

{Chevy's Tex-Mex restaurant}

They had decided to go with Mexican for lunch. Ciel had to admit, even if their personalities were warped... Americans seemed to have very well developed palates with all the different ethnic foods they consumed, and the food was rather delicious as well... not as good and Sebastian, Chêne's, or Pomona and Cpt. LeBeau's cooking, though. He had enjoyed the 'chicken flautas' meal that he had shared with Chêne.

_CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!_

Ciel jumped slightly, startled by the sudden, loud sound. What now_!_? He watched as a group of waiters and waitresses danced over to their table, carrying a huge bowl of some kind of Tex-Mex themed sundae that had sparkler candles sticking out of it and a sombrero.

"Uno~! Dos~! Uno, dos, tres~! It's your birthday~ It's your birthday, say 'Olé'~! _Ol__é__~!"_ The waiters and waitresses sang as they set the dessert in front of Chêne and slapped the large sombrero on her head before wishing her happy birthday and going back to work. Sebastian and Ciel stared after them, slightly stunned. Chêne smiled wryly at her parents.

"When did you have time to tell them?" Chêne asked the, sweat dropping.

"Who knows~? You didn't think we'd forget it was your birthday today, did you?" Pomona said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.

"We wanted to surprise you, so we hid the presents in the back of the car. I'll go get them now." Cpt. LeBeau told Chêne, smiling as he got up and left to fetch her presents.

'Ah... that's right...' Ciel thought, sweat dropping. In all of the excitement that came along with suddenly being transported to a new world, he had forgotten Chêne was turning nineteen today. Chêne's presents were back at the manor...

"I'm afraid our gifts are back in our world, so you will not be able to open them until we return." Sebastian said, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin.

"Hmm... well, Grandma Willow said the three of you won't be returning until tomorrow, after we visit her... so you'll have to wait another day." Pomona told Chêne. Laurie pouted.

"I don't want Chêne to leave." Laurie said sadly.

"I'm sorry Laurie... but you know you'll always be my cute little sister, no matter how far apart we are, right?" Chêne said, smiling softly as she hugged her.

"I know..." Laurie said, sniffling as she held back her tears.

"Aww~ isn't that sweet?" Lacey said, smiling. Pomona snapped a pic of the touching scene with her phone.

"Got it~!" Pomona said, smiling victoriously.

"Do you _mind_? We're trying to have a moment here!" Laurie said, vein mark throbbing on her forehead.

"I'm back." Cpt. LeBeau announced as he sat down and handed Chêne her presents.

Chêne picked up the present on top of the stack. This one was from lacey, and it had been wrapped in black paper that had a pattern with little bow wearing skulls. Chêne smiled as she unwrapped the gift. Chêne took one look at the gift and burst out laughing. It was a book, and the title was _WTF?: How to Survive 101 of Life's Worst F*#!-ing Situations._Lacey smirked, glad that Chêne liked her gift. "Since We can't always be together, I thought I'd give you a little something to help you when I'm not there to give your brilliantly sarcastic, sometimes illegal, and often hilarious solutions to life's problems~!" Lacey told her grinning. "Haha! This is hilarious, Lacey~!" Chêne said, laughing as she hugged her friend. "Thank you!" "Open mine next~!" Laurie said, smiling. "Well, if you insist~!" Chêne said, smiling. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise. It was the 'Swiss Army Midnite MiniChamp with LED Mini Red Light' that she had been wanting since before she 'disappeared.' "Yeeesss~!" Chêne squealed happily as she hugged her sister. "Thank you~!" I've been missing my handy basic Swiss Army knife (since I had to leave it here so they wouldn't confiscate it at the airport), and this one's even better~! Laurie smiled victoriously. She didn't really get her sister sometimes, but she was glad Chêne liked her gift. "Hmm... So this is a 'Swiss Army knife'." Sebastian said thoughtfully as he stared at the small, compact knife. Chêne had told him about hers before, when she was complaining about how much she missed it for when she needed to do a small job, and she had to run and find the tool, instead of being able to just pull her pocket knife out and fix it then and there. 'I really do not see what all of the fuss is about...' Ciel thought.

"And last, but not least~!" Pomona said, prompting Chêne to open the gift from her parents. They had given her a beautiful wooden folding diptych photo frame that had an ornate heart carved on the backs of the frames... but it was empty. Chêne looked at them questioningly. Normally when people gave a photo as a gift, they included a special and sentimental photo in it, didn't they...?

"It's great, but... why is it empty?" Chêne asked, puzzled. Pomona and Cpt. LeBeau smiled at her.

"Because we haven't taken the pictures yet." Cpt. LeBeau said.

"We decided to make our costume theme 'Victorian era' this year, so we could have a family portrait together that wouldn't be suspicious to the people in the other world. One side is for us, and the other side is for your new family~!" Pomona explained, smiling fondling at her daughter. "There's a present from Grandma Willow too, and we have a little something else as lagniappe waiting for you, at home.

"I love you guys sooo much!" Chêne cried as she hugged her parents. Sebastian smiled slightly. Humans were so emotional... At least with this, Chêne's parting with her family would probably be a little less painful now that she would have something to remember them by, making it easier for her to return with Ciel an him.

"Me too!" Laurie said as she joined the LeBeau family group hug. Lacey sniffed, causing Ciel to glance at her. She was wiping her eyes, like she was trying to wipe a way a tear.

"Are you... _crying_...?" Ciel asked her, surprised.

"N-No! I just have something in my eye, okay_!_?" Lacey said defensively.

"Of course you do." Ciel said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Well, it was a rather touching scene...

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Let me know if you want me to wrap this arc up quickly, because I've noticed that I've gotten quite a few reviews asking me to get beck to the manga, so I'm going to try to cut this short. ^_^;

I also added two new links. One is for Chene and her two presents that I'm about to write in the next Chapter, and the other is of Grandma Willow. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but she'll probably look very familiar to those of you who read the manga! XD


	54. That Butler, Birthday2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Birthday 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I love you guys sooo much!" Chêne cried as she hugged her parents. Sebastian smiled slightly. Humans were so emotional... At least with this, Chêne's parting with her family would probably be a little less painful now that she would have something to remember them by, making it easier for her to return with Ciel an him._

"_Me too!" Laurie said as she joined the LeBeau family group hug. Lacey sniffed, causing Ciel to glance at her. She was wiping her eyes, like she was trying to wipe a way a tear._

"_Are you... crying...?" Ciel asked her, surprised._

"_N-No! I just have something in my eye, okay!" Lacey said defensively._

"_Of course you do." Ciel said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Well, it was a rather touching scene..._

* * *

><p>"I see this city is still very similar to when I last saw it..." Sebastian thought out loud as they drove through the Crescent City (aka New Orleans). There were many new buildings and modern contraptions now, but there were a few old buildings he recognized.<p>

"Oh? You've been to New Orleans before?" Pomona asked.

"Uh... he means before he started working for Ciel, yeah!" Chêne said, laughing nervously. She hoped Sebastian wouldn't say anything that might give himself away...

"Yes, it was a long time ago." Sebastian said, giving them all a brilliant shit-eating grin.

Cpt. LeBeau turned onto their street. Their old house, the one Chêne and Laurie grew up in, was located in the Mid-city Fairgrounds neighborhood, on North Dupre Street. It was very close to Bayou St. John.

"Oh, there's Cabrini!" Chêne said excitedly as they passed her old high school.

"Ah... I remember when we used to go canoeing in the bayou for P.E., and we ended up sinking because ours had a hole in it, and we didn't notice until it was too late... Good times, good times~!" Lacey said, smiling, and nodding to herself.

"Yeah, that was a pretty interesting experience... even though the teacher failed us for canoeing, she gave us an A+++ for swimming..." Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. "At least the bayou isn't that deep, so we were able to get the canoe back out... eventually."

"I remember that when you two came home, you wanted to 'drown your sorrows,' but since you were too young to drink, you made cookie dough instead, and let me eat it with you... that was the best cookie dough _ever_." Laurie said, smiling.

"That's because it was seasoned with our tears, pain, and suffering. I love how our hell was your heaven." Lacey deadpanned.

"Well, we were about 12 or 13, Ciel or Laurie's age, when it happened, so she was only 6 or 7... She probably didn't even fully understand the trauma we went through." Chêne said shrugging.

"Oh, you mean how that flock of geese chased us after I yelled at them? Yeah... that was like out a Hitchcock film or something... I kept hearing their menacing honks in my dreams... uugh...!" Lacey said, shivering.

"You got nightmares... because of geese?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow as he and Laurie both stared at her like she was an idiot.

"They have teeth you know! It would hurt if they bit you!" Lacey said defensively. "Tell 'em, Chêne! One of them nipped your ankle, didn't they?" Chêne sweat dropped.

"Yeah, but luckily it didn't break the skin... or I would've had to get rabies shots, just in case..." Chêne said, grimacing. Rabies shots were _not_ fun. "I know this is totally random, but I just realized something, PomPom... You told me back at Chevy's that you had a gift for me from Grandma Willow, but aren't we going to see her tomorrow...? Why did she give it to you for today?" She asked.

"Well... funny you should ask that, because I actually—_Son of a Buick!"_ Pomona yelled as she glanced up ahead of them. There was Grandma Willow, waiting for them on their porch... and glaring sternly at Pomona, as they pulled up into their driveway.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear..." Cpt. LeBeau said, sweat dropping. Chêne and Ciel glanced at Sebastian. He smirked like a Cheshire cat at them in response.

"Why the heck is grandma on our porch?" Laurie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"G-Will is like a legit ninja... maybe I should become her apprentice?" Lacey said thoughtfully, stroking her nonexistent beard. She was pretty slick for an eighty-nine year-old lady.

"What did you do this time, PomPom?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping.

'This time...? You mean this happens often...?' Ciel and Sebastian thought, sweat dropping as they all climbed out of the car. Normal little old ladies just did not hunt people down like this... Ciel froze when he got a better look at Grandma Willow.

"Y-Y-Your—!" Ciel started to stutter as he tried to form intelligible words through his shock. Sebastian looked slightly surprised too.

"I know she's a terrifying old witch, Ciel, but I think you're overdoing it..." Pomona said, sweat dropping.

"Should you really be talking about your own mother that way? She can probably hear everything you just said." Cpt. LeBeau deadpanned. Pomona and her mother tended to quarrel a lot, but they still got along pretty well, despite it.

"Ah! I forgot to warn Ciel before, but..." Chêne said, smiling sheepishly. "Grandma Willow actually looks just like—"

"—_Your Majesty!_?" Ciel yelled incredulously, finally able to get the words out. Chêne's grandmother looked just like Queen Victoria. Chêne's grandmother was even wearing a Victorian dress for Halloween. The only differences were that she still had a few streaks of light-brown hair left on her grey head, and she had light green eyes, just like Pomona and Chêne. Grandma Willow gazed calmly at Ciel.

"... 'Your Majesty'... huh?" Willow asked, raising an eyebrow at him. She smirked. "I like this boy." She said, chuckling in amusement. "So, the ones who have been taking care of my Chêne all this time, are finally here, huh?" Willow asked as she gracefully descended the porch steps and approached them. She eyed Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne critically, taking in every little detail. Since it was Halloween, and they could get away with it, the three of them were wearing their Victorian clothes again because Lacey had been anxious to wear the Victorian costume Pomona had made for her, so they had all decided to change at Chevy's before continuing on. She smiled wryly at Chêne. "I see the prodigal daughter has finally returned. After all my lecturing on how to be a proper lady, it turns out the only thing that it took to get you to wear a dress was a little thing like time travel, hm?" Willow teased Chêne, her sage eyes twinkling mischievously. Chêne smiled wryly at her grandmother.

"Funny how life works out, huh? Hello, Grandma Willow." Chêne said, hugging the old woman.

"Welcome back, Cher." Willow said, smiling fondly at her granddaughter. "..._As for you_." Willow said, turning on her daughter, Pomona. "Nice try, Pomona, but I came to give Chêne my gift to her in person. _Now hand it over."_ Pomona hung her head I defeat.

"Fine. You win mother... _again._" Pomona huffed as she went up the porch stairs and unlocked the door, and they all followed her in. Pomona walked over to mantle piece over the fire place, and stood on her tippy-toes to take down a small gift box that was wrapped in a white rose patterned gift-wrap, and had a pastel pink bow on top. Chêne smiled. Grandma Willow always did like roses and pink...

"Tch." Pomona said, clicking her tongue in disappointment as she held out the small gift box, deciding to quit before her mother really got mad. "I only took it because I thought we weren't seeing you until tomorrow, and I thought it would be more fun if Chêne got it on her actual birthday..." She said, pouting. "You said she wasn't leaving until after she saw you tomorrow, right? What are you so upset about?"

"I told you that she would have to leave soon after she saw me—I never said anything about it being tomorrow." Willow huffed indignantly as she took the gift and handed it to Chêne. "Wait before you open this, Cher. The three of you must leave immediately, or you will not be able to return." She said gravely.

"_!_?" They all said, shocked.

"What do you mean, Grandma—_!_?" Chêne asked, alarmed.

"I'll explain on the way back, but first..." Willow said, turning to Sebastian. She stared up determinedly into the demon butler's crimson eyes for a moment, and Sebastian got the feeling that whatever Willow had told her daughter and son-in-law, she _knew_ what he was. "Sebastian... I want you to take our picture so that none of us will be left out. Use this camera, aim it at us, and press this button here. Just count to three for us so we can be ready when you do." She said as she pulled a digital camera out of her purse and showed Sebastian what to do.

"I don't see what the big deal is. So what if they're stuck here?" Laurie said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Chêne will die if she stays in our world." Willow said bluntly. They all stared at her for a moment, shocked.

"Laurie, just do as your grandmother says." Pomona said firmly as she started pulling the members of the LeBeau family (plus Lacey) into their proper places for their photo op. Willow quickly joined them.

"One... Two... Three." Sebastian said and pressed the button.

_CLICK._

=†=†=†=†=

{Driving back to the house on the Northshore with Grandma Willow...}

"I'm sorry I had to cut your visit short Chêne, but if we don't hurry, then something terrible will happen to the 'other' armoire." Willow explained as she floored it. The little old lady, who was normally very prim and proper, was driving like a bat out of hell. She had very adamantly insisted that they take her car, and besides Willow only Chêne, Ciel, and Sebastian could fit in her little compact car.

"Judging from your driving... I really am going to die if we don't make it in time, aren't I?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping, as she held the bag they had thrown all of her presents and new dress into.

"Oh, no, that was a complete lie, Cher! Do not worry about that. I only said such a thing because it was the fastest way to get your sister and the others to let you go, but the three of you really will be stuck in this world forever if you don't get back now." Willow explained. "You can open your present now. I want to tell you something about it." Chêne nodded in understanding as she unwrapped her gift.

"_!_?" Chêne gasped, surprised. "But Grandma, this is—!" Sebastian glanced curiously at the necklace Chêne had just removed from the box. The necklace's pendant was a rather large, green Cat's Eye stone, and it had a silver and gold enameled image of a coat of arms on it. The French motto beneath the shield read _Dieu aide ceux qui s'aident_ (God helps those who help themselves). It was on a gold chain, but there was a pin on the back, so it could be used as a brooch as well as a necklace. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. He had seen that coat of arms somewhere before...

"It's yours now. That necklace has been passed down within the Devinette family from generation to generation, seer to seer." Willow said, smiling at her granddaughter as she glanced up at the rearview mirror. "Normally, it would be given to you upon my death, but these are special circumstances... and that necklace is meant to stay as _your _companion for the rest of your very _long_ _life_." Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Grandma... does this mean you know 'what' Sebastian is, and what I've become...?" Chêne asked cautiously.

"Of course! My visions may not be as clear as yours, but I have them more often than you do, so I can iron out the kinks rather quickly if I misinterpret something. I just let your mother think that because I knew she'd tell your father and sister, and it would break their hearts to know the truth." Willow explained. "They'd still love you, of course, but they would probably have tried to keep you to themselves if they thought you were being 'forced' into staying with Sebastian and Ciel, since you need his blood to maintain your sanity. They wouldn't stop to think about how lonely you'll be on your own, having to outlive every human you will ever care about... Besides, you and I both know that if they thought you were being bound to them by a decision _you_ made, that they would be far more likely to see you off with a smile." Chêne thought about it for a moment before sighing.

"You're right, Grandma... as usual... but there's one thing I'd like to make clear." Chêne said, meeting her grandmother's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Even if I was bound to Sebastian without my permission—Staying with them _is my choice._ You and I both know that no matter how desperate a situation might be, there is _always_ a choice. You may not like it, but that doesn't mean it isn't an option. My options were: A) Live with two people I care about, for as long as I could, while staying true to myself and choosing to enjoy my new life as best as I could. B) Live, and blame two people I cared about for something that was ultimately caused by one of my own mistakes, until I grew to hate and despise them and thus making my life a bitter hell. C) I could have killed myself by stabbing myself through the heart, since I can still die if my heart is stopped completely before Sebastian can heal me." Chêne said calmly. "Which would you choose?" Ciel stared at her, stunned. He hadn't realized just how much her transformation had affected Chêne... to think that she would list suicide as an option...

"..." Sebastian said as he watched her. He knew that humans were capable of virtually anything when desperate enough, but he had not thought Chêne would even consider suicide since she still clung so tightly to her human beliefs, and Catholics believed that suicide was an act that was essentially a one-way ticket to Hell, with no chance of ever seeing Heaven. Grandma Willow smiled wryly.

"Not everyone is as strong as you, Chêne..." She said as she stared at the road ahead.

=†=†=†=†=

"Are you sure you have everything?" Willow asked Chêne, smiling sadly as they hugged goodbye and said goodbye one last time. They had quickly printed out a black and white version of their recently taken family portrait, and slipped it inside of its frame already.

"I'm sure." Chêne said, smiling despite the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Thank you for helping us, Grandma. I'm glad I got to see you before we had to leave."

"Me too, Cher... me too..." Willow said, patting her on the back. "All right. You youngsters better leave while you still can." She said, smiling softly as she stepped back and gave them room to open the doors of the armoire. Sebastian held onto Ciel and Chêne as they stepped into the armoire. It would not do to have come all this way, only to be separated when they tried to return.

"Goodbye." Chêne said, smiling softly as she disappeared into the armoire with the demon butler and his master.

_CHAK._

"Goodbye, my little Chêne..." Willow said softly as the doors closed behind them.

=†=†=†=†=

{October 31, 1888—Phantomhive Manor}

"Phew!" Chêne said, relieved when Sebastian set her and Ciel down. "Traveling across dimensions gives me motion sickness..." She said as she took a deep calming breath. Ciel sweat dropped. Since Chêne had had a chance to get some closure by saying goodbye to her loved ones this time around, she seemed to be feeling much better, and was acting rather silly... He couldn't bring himself to call her weird after seeing how abnormal everyone else around her (except for Cpt. LeBeau) had been... Quite frankly, Ciel was amazed

"Do not speak as though what we just went through is an everyday occurrence, because it _isn't."_ Ciel said, chagrined. "Really... it is a good thing for you since were finally reunited with your family, but those people are positively mad, particularly Lacey..." He grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Oh? Ye seemed to be rather enjoying yourself, to me." Sebastian said, smirking.

"I bet you're just grumpy from lack of good tea." Chêne teased him. Do you want us to make you so—"

_KA—BOOOM!_!

"_!_?" Ciel and Chêne yelled in surprise as Sebastian grabbed them and pulled them to the ground, shielding them as the armoire suddenly exploded.

"_WTF—!_?" Chêne yelled incredulously. Was this what her grandma had been talking about_!_? What if they'd still been inside when that happened_!_?

"What the bloody hell was that_!_?" Ciel demanded.

"... I believe you will have the answer to all your questions if you look outside _through the hole in your wall_." Sebastian said as he helped them up and stared at the damage that had just been done. Ciel and Chêne stared, stunned. It turns out that armoire didn't just suddenly explode 'on its own'—_It had help._ Sebastian's eyes twitched as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead, and Ciel and Chêne turned blue with shock as they all stared outside through the large hole in Ciel's wall. The three stooges were all running amok on the grounds below them, while Mister Tanaka sipped his tea. They, along with the ground around them, had been scorched by whatever exploded and hit Ciel's room and armoire, and they were crying... Ciel, Sebastian and Chêne realized that over the past day and a half they were gone... _the other servants had somehow managed to almost completely DEMOLISH the manor._ Ciel's room had somehow managed to remain the last one standing... until just a few moments ago. What in the name of William H. Macy were they doing that could have possibly caused all of this_!_?

"... Sebastian and Chêne said as they stared at the huge mess they knew that _they_ would have to clean up.

"... Remind me _why_ we were in such a hurry to come back?" Ciel deadpanned, sweat dropping.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

And now we're going back to the manga starting next chap, yay~! ^_^


	55. That Butler, On The Hunt

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, On The Hunt<strong>_

* * *

><p>[Mysterious speech in dreams]<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><em>He was falling. Ciel could feel himself falling, and he struggled to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt heavy and leaden... Then he heard a soft and sweet voice speak.<em>

[Once upon a dreary eve...  
>at midnight when all hopes and dreams had been lost...]<p>

'_That voice... I know that voice... It's Chêne...' Ciel thought as he finally managed to open his eyes. '!_?_' He thought, surprised to find that he was falling through a dark, inky, pitch-black void._

[I, who had been possessed by an apparition, spied a stately Raven overhead...]

_Ciel could hear Chêne, but he couldn't see her... it almost sounded like her voice was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. It was unnerving. He tried to look around to see if he could see anything, but he realized that, except for his eyes, he couldn't move at all—he was paralyzed. Ciel was paralyzed, and helpless as he fell further into the crushing darkness of the abyss. _

[And with dreaming eyes quoth the Raven..._  
>'That which is lost shall never return.']<em>

_Ciel felt something soft brush against his face as he listened to Chêne's voice fade away to barely even a whisper... a feather? Yes... it was a feather, black as coal, just like everything else in this chasm._

_**['NEVER MORE.']**__ Sebastian whispered darkly as the demon held finger to his lips, grinning. His black nails had become sharp, like talons, and his teeth had elongated into fangs. Crimson eyes glowed maliciously as the Raven swooped down upon his prey._

=†=†=†=†=

{December 12, 1888—The Phantomhive manor}

"—ster."

Ciel blinked slowly. Was someone calling him...?

"—Young Master." Sebastian called out as he approached the bed. Chen was caressing Ciel's cheek, trying to tickle him awake, since he wasn't waking up, even after she threw the curtains open to let the sunlight in. Ciel's brow was furrowed as he struggled to open his eyes, and there was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Sebastian, I think he's having a nightmare..." Chêne said, frowning slightly in concern.

"Then should we not wake him up?" Sebastian asked as he leaned over to shake Ciel awake. Ciel finally managed to open his eyes, but he was still feeling disorientated _"Young Master_." Ciel flinched in shock and alarm when he realized two figures were looming over him.

"_...!_!" Ciel yelled as he suddenly reached under his pillow and pulled his pistol out, aiming it at one of the ominous figures.

_CHAK._

The pistol's hammer made a clicking sound as Ciel pulled it back with his thumb, cocking the pistol with his finger on the trigger, ready to fire. Sebastian and Chêne stared at Ciel, stunned. Chêne had gone blue with shock. Ciel was holding the gun to Sebastian's forehead. The young earl was breathing heavily.

"_Do not—! Touch me—!" _Ciel yelled at Sebastian, shaking. He didn't even seem to have noticed Chêne.

"..." Sebastian said as he slowly straightened up, and took a step back, so as to not startle the frightened boy. He would not die if Ciel shot him, but there was a particularly valuable vase behind him, and if Ciel missed... Well, we couldn't have that break, now could we? Chêne stayed perfectly still. Since Ciel wasn't paying attention to her, it would be better not to surprise him by making any sudden movements. Her dad warned her before that, when he was in Iraq, he had learned that when a shaky and nervous kid is pointing a gun at you—you do _exactly_ as they say—because if you upset them, a kid is more likely to panic and pull the trigger if something goes wrong. All Chêne knew was that she was really glad that she had insisted on getting Ciel a single-action pistol, or Sebastian would've probably been shot by now... Sebastian glanced at Chêne and grinned. At least she was being a good girl and staying out of the way, that would make things much easier.

"For today's morning tea, I have prepared Assam with plenty of milk." Sebastian said calmly. Ciel watched as Sebastian poured the tea, panting and shaking like a leaf. "The milk will serve to relax you. It will calm you down." Sebastian informed him.

"..." Ciel said as he stared at Sebastian, his eyes cast in shadow.

"Especially... after a bad dream..." Sebastian said, smiling warmly, just as he had seen Chêne do before whenever she comforted someone, and slowly approached Ciel, holding the cup of tea out to him.

"..." Ciel said as he stared at Sebastian, still clutching hi gun. The warm and sweet, calming aroma of the tea wafted through the air, and Ciel relaxed slightly at the familiar and comforting scent. Ciel exhaled as he finally relaxed and lowed his gun. Ciel put the gun aside, and accepted the tea from Sebastian. Chêne sighed in relief as she finally stood up from where she had been kneeling beside his bed, and picked up the gun so she could disarm it.

"Are you all right, Ciel? Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" Chêne asked him, concerned. It wasn't like this was the first time Ciel had woken up a little shaky from a nightmare, but he had never actually pulled a gun on either of them before.

"... It's nothing." Ciel said as he sipped his tea. Sebastian noticed there was a book still lying on the bed that Ciel had obviously fallen asleep reading.

"Heh." Sebastian said as he picked it up and read the title. It was a book of a collection of the works of Edgar Allen Poe. "It is all because you read Poe before going to bed." Sebastian said, smirking wryly. All that trouble over something so trivial...

"Wait, isn't that my book...? I put it back in my room after I read some of it to you yesterday—Did you go in my room_!_?" Chêne asked Ciel indignantly. "You can't just break into a girl's room like that, Ciel! What are you going to do next—_read my diary?_" She huffed indignantly. She had been reading some of the poems aloud to Ciel yesterday, since he had been interested in why she liked Poe's work so much. She told Ciel that she loved the way the words just flowed and had a rhythm that seemed to bring them alive, but Ciel had claimed he didn't think that way, since the rhythm seemed off whenever a British person read it, and Chene explained that it was probably _because_ they were British, since Poe was American, and the words are pronounced differently. Ciel had to admit that Chene had been right after hearing her recite the poetry... when pronounced 'correctly,' listening to the eerie poems had been like hearing a siren's called.

"I do as please." Ciel said moodily as he sipped his tea. Not only had he had a rather nasty nightmare, but he had gotten caught by Chêne... not a very pleasant start to any day. "Besides, you do not have a diary." Chêne gaped at him, shocked. Sebastian smirked in amusement. So Ciel _had _looked for it... "What of today's schedule?" Ciel asked, as though he hadn't just stepped on a landmine.

"Today you must review the documents sent from headquarters. And in the afternoon, the Marchioness of Midford and Lady Elizabeth will be visiting." Sebastian stated. Chêne gave him a strange look, and Ciel almost spit out his tea. "And Young Master's—"

"_Damn!_!" Ciel yelled in alarm, shoving the tea into Sebastian's hand and shooting out of bed. "_Begin preparations right away!"_ He ordered Chêne, not even waiting until Chêne had completely left the room before he began frantically trying to unbutton his shirt.

"?" Sebastian said, puzzled by their behavior. "You do not need to hurry so. The Marchioness will be here this afternoon—" He said, smiling a bright shit-eating grin at Sebastian.

"_Fool!_! _We're talking about Aunt Francis here!_!" Ciel yelled anxiously.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

In a single-action revolver, the hammer is manually cocked, usually with the thumb of the firing or supporting hand. This action advances the cylinder to the next round and locks the cylinder in place with the chamber aligned with the barrel. The trigger, when pulled, releases the hammer, which fires the round in the chamber. To fire again, the hammer must be manually cocked again. This is called "single-action" because the trigger only performs a single action, of releasing the hammer. Because only a single action is performed and trigger pull is lightened, firing a revolver in this way allows most shooters to achieve greater accuracy. Additionally, the need to cock the hammer manually acts as a safety.


	56. That Butler, On The Hunt2

**Author's note:  
><strong>Some of the words had been typed in like they were crossed out in the original manga, and so I did that when I typed this in Word, but FanFic doesn't seem to like that, so whenever something is supposed to be crossed out, I'll write it like this: ≠crossed out text≠

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, On The Hunt 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_?" Sebastian said, puzzled by their behavior. "You do not need to hurry so. The Marchioness will be here this afternoon—" He said, smiling a bright shit-eating grin at Sebastian._

"_Fool! We're talking about Aunt Francis here!" Ciel yelled anxiously._

* * *

><p>{The Phantomhive Inner Courtyard}<p>

Finni was humming cheerfully as he skipped along the garden path, holding the big burlap bag that Chêne had given to him to collect all the weeds in. He had just finished successfully weeding the garden... without destroying it for once. Chêne had decided that after Finni's herbicide sprayer had decimated the garden for a _third time_, that they should just go 'organic' and not use any chemical weed-killers. It meant Finni had to weed more often, but he didn't mind so much, since he actually got yelled at less now, since the garden wasn't constantly turning into a wasteland.

"Aaah, I'm so glad Mister Sebastian, Miss Chêne, and the young master are back~!" Finni said happily. '_If they hadn't...' _Finni thought, shuddering slightly at the memory of when the three of them had suddenly disappeared the on the last two days of October, and he and the other servants had accidentally destroyed the manor... "I wonder what would've happened if they hadn't..." Finni said nervously. If they had been away for any longer, Finni didn't doubt that he and the others would've, at the very least, starved to death or died from being left out in the cold... He and Mei-Rin had clung to Chêne, both relieved and afraid, sobbing and begging for mercy, while Sebastian gave bard a triple-decker ice cream scoop and then some. They could feel murderous intent radiating off of the butler, despite the brilliant smile on his face. "Ah~! The Christmas roses are blooming~!" Fine said cheerfully when he noticed the flowers as he ran past. "Soon it'll be Christmas, huuuh_!_?" Finni said excitedly as he stopped to smell the roses, drooling slightly at the thought of the feast of yummy foods Sebastian and Chêne would make for them. Since the young master was a little shy (?) about celebrating his birthday, Chêne had started the tradition of baking a Bûche de Noël cake for Ciel instead of a birth—

"_AH!"_ Finni said suddenly in realization. He had almost forgotten something _incredibly_ important!

=†=†=†=†=

{Phantomhive Downstairs, the main kitchen}

"You guys! You guuuuys_!_! _Omigosh!_" Finni yelled as he burst into the kitchen.

"Urrgh... What is it, Finny... This early in the morning." Bard groaned as he leaned his head on the kitchen table.

Last night, he made the mistake of making a comment about how women 'couldn't hold their liquor' as well as men while they were tasting wines to see which ones would be best to age longer in the wine cellar, and which ones should be set aside for any guests Ciel might have—and Chêne heard him... So she did what any hot-blooded, post-feminism movement, American woman would do, and she challenged him to a drinking contest...Who knew such a _short_ girl could hold so _much_ wine? _Certainly not_ _Bard_. He probably should've realized what he was getting himself into when he saw Sebastian (who had volunteered himself as referee to make sure they did not accidentally consume any truly valuable wines in their zealousness) had smirked like a Cheshire cat in amusement. Chêne had drunk Bard clear under the table, and to make his defeat even more crushing, _Chêne didn't even have a hangover_. She had even gotten up extra earlier so she could make a Bûche de Noël before she had to get started making their breakfast. Bard decided that he never wanted to cross Chêne again—she might look sweet, and she might be more forgiving that Sebastian, but... that was just plain scary.

"Quiet dowwwwn, wouldja?" Bard groaned as Finni's babbling aggravated his massive hangover induced migraine. No amount of coffee in the world would be enough to fix this...

"What happened, hmmm?" Mei-Rin asked, concerned, as she munched on the creole 'shrimp 'n grits' Chêne had made them for breakfast while Mister Tanaka sipped his tea.

"Sheesh, have all of you forgotten? Today's a special day_!_!" Finni said anxiously, furrowing his brow slightly in disappointment at them.

"_Hrn?"_ Bard, Mei-Rin, and Mister Tanaka said as they glanced at the calendar hanging on the kitchen wall behind Tanaka. _It was December 12__th_. "Special—?"

=†=†=†=†=

"Good morning, Marchioness, Lady Elizabeth. I hope your ride over was pleasant?" Chêne said, smiling politely as she curtsied and helped Ciel's Aunt Francis out of their carriage. She had just barely made it in time to receive them.

"Yes. It was, Miss LeBeau. I trust you have been keeping up with your fencing?" Francis asked smoothly. After being stabbed by Madam Red, Chêne had decided to ask the best, aka Francis, for help in learning a little self-defense. Francis had readily agreed, and had trained Chêne within an inch of her life. She actually reminded Chêne a little bit of Petty Officer 'Satan,' her drill instructor from the 'mini boot camp' her father had sent her to before... Chêne sweat dropped, smiling wryly.

"Of course, Marchioness. It would be a pity to let the skills you taught me go to waste." Chêne said as she turned back to the carriage and helped Lizzie down.

"Good morning, Chêne~! Where are Ciel and Sebastian?" Lizzie said cheerfully, smiling, as she looked around excitedly for her fiancé. Chêne smiled at Lizzie. It was so cute how much she adored Ciel.

"The young master and Sebastian will be here shortly to greet you themselves." Chêne informed her, smiling brightly. "Ah, here they come now." She said as Ciel approached them, followed by Sebastian. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly when she saw him. It was obvious that Ciel had been in a rush. His necktie was a little crooked, and his hair was messy, like he had forgotten to comb it. Ciel looked rather unkempt for a young earl.

"It has been a while since I saw you last, Marchioness of Midford. You have arrived earlier than expected today as well..." Ciel greeted his aunt, chagrined, as he sweated nervously, hoping she was in a forgiving mood today. Sebastian sweat dropped and smiled wryly behind him. No wonder Ciel and Chêne had been in such a rush. He had been off running an errand for Ciel the last time Francis had decided to come 'a little early.'

"Spare me the formalities. You look as if you've just risen, Earl Phantomhive." Francis said coolly.

'Uh oh...' Chêne thought.

"No, I—" Ciel said quickly, trying to come up with an excuse, but before he could say any more, Lizzie suddenly latched onto him.

"Gosssh~! Ciel's cute even when he has just woken up~!" Lizzie gushed happily as she squeezed Ciel in tight hug.

"_Gueh!"_ Ciel grunted in pain, turning slightly blue. "You're choking me..." Ciel gasped as he struggled to breathe.

"_Elizabeth!_!" Francis said sternly, causing her daughter to flinch. _"Do not behave so rudely before you've even greeted him._ I have always told you that a lady must observe the proprieties even when she's at her mother's family home..." Francis said sternly, steaming, as a vein mark throbbed on her head.

"I... I'm sorry, Mother_!_!" Lizzie said nervously, paling slightly, as she clung to Ciel.

"..." Ciel said as a little blood ran down from the corner of his mouth. He was extremely pale, and Chêne flinched in shock when she thought she saw a winged halo fly out from Ciel's head.

'_Was that his soul I just saw!_?' Chêne thought, turning blue with shock. "Ci—Young Master, are you all right...?" Chêne asked as she took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off of his face before Lizzie noticed. While Chêne was making sure Ciel was still conscious after having the life squeezed out of him, Francis turned to face Sebastian.

"It has been a while since I saw you last. Welcome, Marchioness and Lady Elizabeth." Sebastian said smoothly. "You have traveled a great distance today—"

_STAAARE..._

"?" Sebastian said, wondering why Francis was staring so severely at him and frowning slightly.

_STAAAAAAAAARE..._

"Ah... Erm..." Sebastian said, sweat dropping, as Francis leaned closer, staring even harder at him. Even Sebastian was starting to feel slightly unnerved. It felt like when he had been staring down Chêne's father, but... as far as he knew, the Marchioness had no reason to be so hostile towards him. "Might there be something on my fa—"

"You look... _lecherous!_ Per usual." Francis said, stunning the demon butler.

"Pfft!" Ciel and Chêne said, struggling to hold in their laughter. Francis had just told him the same thing Laurie had, and the look on his face was priceless!

"I am afraid I was born this way—" Sebastian said, sweat dropping, as he smiled wryly. This nonsense again? _Really?_

"Moreover!" Francis said as she suddenly reached out and grabbed Sebastian's bangs in her fist, causing the demon, Ciel, and Chêne to flinch and turn slightly blue with shock.

'_Shut the front door! _She's actually got Sebastian, _a demon_, breaking out in a nervous sweat_!_?' Chêne thought, impressed. Forget 'Petty Officer Satan,' Francis was '_Commanding Officer_ Satan'!

"_Both you and your master are sporting long bangs, though you're both male. How unseemly! You need to learn a thing or two from Tanaka there!"_ Francis scolded him sternly.

"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Tanaka laughed softly.

'When did _he _get here...?' Chêne wondered, sweat dropping. She flinched slightly when Francis glanced at her.

"Chêne, you are doing just fine." Francis stated. She had taken a liking to Chêne after training her. Chêne might seem weak and naïve, but she was a hard worker, and Chêne had suffered through her tutelage without complaint, despite how difficult it had been. Chêne sighed in relief. At least she was safe... However, it didn't look that way for Ciel and Sebastian... There was no mercy in the Marchioness's eyes as she loomed over them ominously.

"A—! Aunt Francis_!_?" Ciel said nervously as he tried to back away.

"Please just wai—" Sebastian tried to say politely, sweating nervously. Francis still had a death grip on his bangs.

"Hang on—_Aaaaaaah!_?_"_ Ciel yelled as his aunt proceeded to make the two of them 'more presentable'.

=†=†=†=†=

"_I apologize for troubling you... Aunt Francis..."_ Ciel said, trembling slightly as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. This was humiliating. Francis had very _forcefully_ not only straightened up Ciel's necktie, but... She had used a comb to part Ciel's hair on the side, and then she slicked back both his and Sebastian's hair so that they looked like '_proper gentlemen.'_ Sebastian smiled wryly and sweat dropped, deciding to just take it like a man.

"Hmph! Indeed." Francis said. There was a serious gleam in her eye as she held the comb in her hand.

"They don't look too cute..." Lizzie said, sweat dropping. Chêne was shaking slightly, trying not to laugh at how shiny their exposed foreheads looked. She had to give Sebastian credit though... even with a nerdy hairstyle, he still looked handsome... not that she was going to admit that out loud... it would be too embarrassing, and Sebastian would have way too much fun teasing her about it. Sebastian sweat dropped when he noticed Chêne's humorous smile. Sebastian decided he would get her back later for somehow managing to escape the Marchioness's clutches by herself. Honestly, he should have expected something like this, though. Lady Francis, the younger sister of the former Earl Phantomhive, is a strict disciplinarian, and detests the forces of habit and desire. She values strength and purity. The rumor goes that at the queen's fencing tourney... Lady Francis defeated the head of the order of knights—the Marquess of Midford—≠with superhuman strength≠, which led to their marriage (since he fell in love with her at first sight). Though now married, she still trains daily... and has maintained her youthful strength and beauty. She is quite the ≠outrageous≠ noblewoman.

"I drop in on you, and you're still a lay-about. Not to mention your butler looks ever the degenerate!" Francis scolded Ciel.

'Degenerate...' Sebastian thought as an idiot hair popped out on his head, stunned.

"You are to marry my daughter." Francis told Ciel sternly, causing him to flinch slightly and furrow his brow. Here it comes... Francis was about to _really_ let him have it. "_On this day of days, your reformation begins! Nothing will escape my notice, is that clear!_?" She declared sternly, pointing at him.

"_!_!" Ciel said, paling slightly as he flinched.

"We'll start with the manor! A disorderly home reflects a distracted mind_!_!" Francis said.

"Then I shall guide you." Sebastian said, smiling, as he stepped forward.

"H-Hey...!" Ciel whispered nervously, tugging on his sleeve. He knew that neither they, nor Chêne had actually had any time to do anything other than to rush out and great Francis.

"Shh—" Sebastian whispered, holding a finger to his lips. "Leave it to me. Chêne and I made certain everything was perfect yesterday." He said, smirking slightly as he winked at Ciel and Chêne. Chêne sweat dropped.

'Yeah, but that was yesterday...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She hadn't seen any of the other servants since breakfast, so she had no idea what they were up to now...

"I will first show you the inner courtyard. This year, the winter roses we ordered from Germany are quite lovel—" Sebastian said as he started to open the doors leading to the inner courtyard. He froze. Finni was out there... and he was in the process of _decapitating every last Christmas rose in the garden _with gardening shears, while humming merrily to himself.

_SHUT._

"_My mistake."_ Sebastian said, smiling a _blindingly_ bright shit-eating grin as he quickly shut the door, and turned back around to face them.

'_Something was wrong...'_ Ciel and Chêne thought, sweat dropping. Ciel was looking rather gloomy, like he was doomed. Lizzie watched the exchange between her mother and Sebastian curiously as she held onto one of Ciel's arms.

"I-I'll go see what it was..." Chêne whispered to Ciel as she slipped off to check on the courtyard through another route. Maybe she could fix whatever had happened...

"Why? Now that we're here, we can begin with the inner courtyard—" Francis said, furrowing her brow slightly.

"_The living room, I insist."_ Sebastian said, smiling brightly as he led them away. "I made a simple mistake, really_!_! The 'party dress' Christmas rose and the winter roses we ordered from Germany are at their best now, but we would like you to see them around noon when they all bloom, so please come to the living room... We will be able to show you the beautiful inner courtyard later..." Sebastian rambled as he led them to the living room, hoping to distract Francis and Lizzie long enough to keep them from asking any more questions until they reached their next destination. He hoped Chêne could find a solution for Finni's... _blunder_.

=†=†=†=†=

"~La, Laa~! There's lots of pretty flowers~!" Finni sang happily as he reached out to cut another Christmas rose. "Gyah!" He yelped, flinching in surprise when someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"Oh, sorry." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "I didn't mean to scare you Finni, but would you mind telling me _why _you're cutting all of the flowers? We wanted to show them to the Marchioness." She said patiently.

"Eh_!_? I'm sorry!" Finni apologized. "It's just that today is the twelfth, so..." He hoped Mister Sebastian wasn't too angry with him. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but then she smiled softly at Finni.

"I see. In that case, I can't really be mad at you, but... _please don't cut any more_. Help me straighten this mess up, and then I'll let you go, okay?" Chêne said, smiling wryly. Sebastian probably wouldn't be too happy with her for letting him off so easily, but today was a special day.

"Okay~!" Finni said, smiling brightly, happy that Chêne wasn't angry. "Oh! Chêne, do you think you could help the others too? Mei-Rin and Bard are getting the other things ready~!" He said innocently. Chêne paled slightly. _This would not end well._

=†=†=†=†=

"The living room was just revamped the other day." Sebastian explained once they had reached the doors of the living room. The demon butler began to open them as he continued to speak. "We ordered a most handsomely patterned wallpaper from France—" Sebastian froze. Mei-Rin was in there, and she was in the process of shattering yet another china set...

_SHUT._

"_My mistake."_ Sebastian said, giving them another brilliant shit-eating grin. Ciel turned blue with dread and sweated nervously. _Something was wrong again._.. "Why do you not take tea in the conservatory?" Sebastian suggested as he began to lead them away from the disaster zone that had once been the living room.

"Why? We came to look at the living room." Francis said, furrowing her brow.

"_Tea, I insist."_ Sebastian said, smiling brightly as he led them away. "You ladies must be exhausted from riding in a cramped carriage for those long hours. I apologize for not realizing sooner. I cannot believe my audacity... There is space for you to relax in the conservatory, so please enjoy your tea while snacking on something light..."

=†=†=†=†=

"... Are you all right, Mei-Rin?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping when she saw the catastrophe that awaited her in the living room.

"M-Miss Ch-Chêne! This is... I..." Mei-Rin stuttered, trying to explain.

"It's alright, Mei-Rin... I already heard from Finni." Chêne said, sighing. I'll help you clean this up and get another china set out, so please_... just calm down and be more careful_, all right?"

=†=†=†=†=

"We just had the most exquisite oranges delivered from Spain, so perhaps a Shalimar tea from Dimbula—" Sebastian said, smiling as he led them past the kitchen.

_KABOOM!_

"Uwaaah!" Sebastian heard bard yell as the basket of now charred and smashed oranges flew into the air.

"_..."_ Sebastian said, smiling yet another brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Yet another mistake, was it?" Francis asked bluntly. Ciel sweated nervously. _"You just CANNOT make up your mind, can you!_?" Francis demanded, irked with Sebastian for dragging them around all willy-nilly.

"I beg your forgiveness." Sebastian said, giving her a very deep bow of apology. "One such as I—" He suddenly had a brilliant idea. There was still one place he could show them... "I had forgotten that there was something else I wanted the Marchioness to see."

"?" Francis said, wondering what it could be.

"Though it is no place to be guiding a lady... let us visit the stables." Sebastian suggested calmly.

=†=†=†=†=

"..." Chêne said as she stared at the extra-crispy fried kitchen and Bard. She sighed wearily. What a disaster. "You and I are going to have a _serious talk_ later, but for now..." Chêne said as she knelt down beside him and examined his broken arm.

_CRUNCH!_

"_Urrgyaaah!_?" Bard screamed bloody murder as Chêne suddenly reset his broken arm, and started bandaging it in a temporary splint for until after Francis left, and they could take him to the hospital to get a proper cast for it.

"Take some aspirin while I clean this up, and then you can go back to making whatever you like—_As long as it doesn't involve being heated by ANYTHING._" Chêne said strictly as she stood up and started cleaning. At least the food cabinet she had stored her cake in was untouched...


	57. That Butler, On The Hunt3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, On The Hunt 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>'thoughts'<p>

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Urrgyaaah!_?" _Bard_ _screamed bloody murder as Chêne suddenly set his broken arm, and started bandaging it in a temporary splint for until after Francis left, and they could take him to the hospital to get a proper cast for it._

"_Take some aspirin while I clean this up, and then you can go back to making whatever you like—As long as it doesn't involve being heated by ANYTHING." Chêne said strictly as she stood up and started cleaning. At least the food cabinet she had stored her cake in was untouched..._

* * *

><p>{The Phantomhive stables}<p>

"How do you like this, Marchioness?" Sebastian asked Francis once they had reached the stables. He had guided them to the stall of a magnificent black stallion. "We sent for a horse with a magnificent bluish-black coat to serve as our master's steed..." Sebastian noticed that Chêne was rejoining them as he spoke. She looked a little tired, but _anyone_ would be after dealing with those three...

"...And we have been looking forward to the day you might take a look at it Marchioness." Chêne said, smiling, as she walked up beside Sebastian and pet the horse. The horse neighed happily. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at Chêne, as if to ask what had happened, but she just shook her head, and gave a look that said 'please, just don't ask.'

"Ohh... A fine horse, indeed. The hip is sturdy, and it looks well." Francis said thoughtfully as she stared at the noble steed, impressed. "I have it!" She said, turning to Ciel. "Ciel. What say we do a little hunting together?" Francis suggested, grinning slyly at him.

"_!_?" Ciel said, surprised. "With you, Aunt Francis?" he asked, making sure he hadn't misheard.

"It will be a good opportunity to see how good a man my daughter's fiancé is." Francis said, smirking. "Or... is 'hunting' too demanding for Earl Phantomhive, who possesses a constitution more common to the fairer sex?" She taunted.

"Oh, _snap!_' Chêne thought. Francis had just basically called Ciel a 'sissy.'

"Very well." Ciel said, furrowing his brow in irritation. _It was on now_. "Sebastian, Chêne, prepare for the hunt." He ordered.

"The game is afoot, Ciel!" Francis declared, smiling cunningly as competitive sparks flew between them.

=†=†=†=†=

{In the woods on the Phantomhive property}

Sebastian led their hunting party on foot, followed by Ciel, who had Lizzie riding sidesaddle with him, on his black horse. Francis picked up the rear in a white horse that Chêne had selected for her, before she left them to prepare a lunch for when they needed to take a break from hunting. She was to bring it to them once it was finished.

"Sebastian." Ciel said simply, knowing the butler would understand his order.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said. The demon butler sniffed the air. "...Young master." He caught a scent. "This way." Sebastian said, leading them to a prime hunting location.

"Does your butler double as a hound?" Francis asked drolly, smirking.

"_He_... is sort of like that." Ciel replied cryptically.

"Then we shall begin here." Sebastian said, once they reached their destination. "The rules are as follows: maintain your territory, twenty-five meters on either side... and avoid shooting at birds flying lower than the prescribed altitude... are we agreed?"

"Yes." Ciel and Francis answered, ready to begin.

"The game is now underway. The time limit shall be three hours." Sebastian said, pulling out his pocket watch.

"See you, Ciel!" Francis said as she immediately turned her horse around, and rode off to begin her hunt, not wasting any time. Ciel, Lizzie, and Sebastian watched her ride away.

"Lizzie, get off here. I can't hunt otherwise." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"Ehhhhhh_!_? But we finally get to spend time together!" Lizzie protested, blushing slightly, as she pouted. Sebastian could hear the faint sound of a gunshot in the distance.

"_1 – Nil."_ Sebastian reported.

"!" Ciel said. Francis was already leaving him in her dust...!

"As expected of the Marchioness... she has already shot a bird. It seems she will be a formidable opponent, even for you, Young Master, hm?" Sebastian said, smirking at Ciel. Ciel frowned at Sebastian, furrowing his brow.

_BANG!_

"_Kyaah!_?" Lizzie cried, startled when Ciel suddenly aimed his hunting rifle straight up into the air, and fired.

_FLAP._ THUD.

"Too bad for Aunt Francis... but I'm not very good at losing any kind of game." Ciel said. Smirking devilishly as the pheasant he just shot fell from the sky. "Lizzie, it's dangerous here so stay with Sebastian. All right?" Ciel told Lizzie as he and Sebastian helped her down from his horse. Lizzie watched, blushing, as Ciel grinned a little excitedly and gallantly rode away to join the hunt.

"—I'm glad." Lizzie said suddenly, causing Sebastian to look at the petite blond girl. He realized that she and Chêne were about the same height now. "Ciel seems to be feeling a little better." Lizzie said, smiling softly. "Aunt An loved Ciel best, so... I was worried. I don't want Ciel to suffer anymore. I always try to cheer him up in my own way, but... It never seems to work out. I always overdo things and make him angry." Lizzie said, smiling self-deprecatingly.

'Heh...' Sebastian thought, smiling slightly at the girl. He thinks he might finally be starting to understand why Chêne found Lizzie 'cute' the two girls were rather similar in some ways... "I am certain my master senses... your kind consideration as well, my Lady." Sebastian told Lizzie, smiling as he knelt before her.

"Eh-heh-heh! Thank you. You're sweet Sebastian. Chêne has told me the same thing before." Lizzie said, smiling wryly, and blushing a little. It wasn't any mystery to Lizzie why Chêne loved the gentlemanly butler. Lizzie hoped that she and Ciel would be able to get along with eachother that well when they were older too...

"Oh, there you are!" Chêne said, smiling and waving as she walked up to them. She was pushing a large cart that held everything they would need for lunch... including the table and chairs.

"Wow, I didn't know you were that strong, Chêne!" Lizzie said, impressed. Chêne laughed.

"Neither did I! It looks like all the training I did with your mother really paid off..." She said, sweat dropping as she smiled wryly. She had gotten a lot stronger since she 'changed,' but she was still nowhere near Sebastian's level.

_BLAM! BANG!_

The three of them paused and looked in the direction the gunshots had come from.

"_5 – 4._" Sebastian said, updating the score, as he pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. "It is a close contest. Let us cheer them both on." He said, grinning.

"Yes. I can't imagine the Marchioness losing to anyone, but Ciel hates to lose, so there's no telling who will win." Chêne said, smiling.

=†=†=†=†=

{Some time later...}

"The Marchioness shot ten pheasants, a brace of foxes, and three rabbits for a total of fifteen points. Young Master shot eleven pheasants, three foxes, and one rabbit for a total of fifteen points..." Sebastian said as he tallied up their scores, and Chêne served their lunch. She and Sebastian had set the table while the three of them had waited for Ciel and Francis to finish their contest, and today's lunch was steak & kidney pie and salmon sandwiches... Chêne couldn't help but feel the British had some really strange food combinations, but then again, she was from a city that served alligator on the menu in some restaurants... it was quite delicious, actually. "The result is a draw. Is that acceptable?" Sebastian asked. Chêne smiled wryly. She had a feeling she knew what their answer would be to that...

"It most certainly is not! I prefer definitive results, one way or another!" Francis stated bluntly.

"How odd, Aunt Francis. It seems we agree on this point." Ciel said, smirking.

_BZZZZT._

Another competitive spark flew between the two of them again.

"Then... how about we settle this with another round after lunch? ... Winner takes all?" Chêne suggested, glancing at Sebastian for approval, to make sure she wasn't messing up their schedule. That was a big pet peeve for Sebastian. He hated falling behind schedule.

"Yes, I believe that is an excellent suggestion... and now, if I may..." Sebastian said, smiling, as he took the wine from the cart so he could pour Francis a glass. It was one of the bottles Chêne had recommended after her taste test/drinking contest last night. Even before her senses were sharpened and enhanced, Chêne had always been something of a gourmet and connoisseur when it came to food.

"Fine_!_!" Ciel said as he and Francis continued to stare each other down.

"No complaints here." Francis said. "But I daresay we've overhunted here. We'll have to find a new location for the afternoon."

"Ah..." Sebastian said, pausing as he inhaled, scenting the air to see what he could sense. Chêne tilted her head to the side, watching him curiously. She wondered just how sensitive his nose was... Sebastian was like a bloodhound. "Not to worry, Marchioness. Big game still lurks on these grounds." The demon butler said calmly as he poured the wine. Chêne raised and eyebrow at that, and decided to see if she could smell that far too. She finished pouring Lizzie and Ciel some homemade sparkling grape juice and sniffed the air. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise... when she caught the same scent Sebastian had.

'Is that a..._!_?' Chêne thought, alarmed.

"Now that the rules have been decided... Let's eat~!" Lizzie said excitedly, smiling happily as she inhaled the savory aroma of their delicious lunch. "This smells diviiiiine..." Lizzie said, freezing when she realized something was looming over her from behind. "Eh?" Lizzie said, shocked when she turned and found her self face to face with a huge bear. _"EEE—!"_ Lizzie screamed in terror.

"_Liz—!"_ Ciel yelled as he and the others desperately sprang into action as the bear lunged for her. Everything happened in an instant, but to Sebastian and Chêne, it was almost as if everything were playing out in slow motion. Francis grabbed her rifle as Ciel and Chêne ran to Lizzie.

"_Kyaaah!"_ Lizzie screamed, flinching in fear as the bear raised it's claw.

"_LIZZIE!_!" Ciel screamed as he tackled her to the ground, shielding her with his body.

"_Urgh...!"_ Chêne roared as she grabbed the empty chair, and shoved it at the bear, blocking it's claws.

_CRRAAACK!_

The bear's claw shredded the chair to splinters.

"_!_?" Chêne said as she threw herself on top of the Ciel and Lizzie. Now that she no longer had a weapon, at least she could shield them, and she would definitely have a far better chance of surviving being mauled by a bear than either of the kids would.

_BANG!_

The bear froze. Its claw was only an inch away from Chêne's head. She, Ciel, and Lizzie stared at the bear, shocked as it began to sway on its feet. Chêne's eyes widened in surprise. She could smell blood and gun powder.

'It's been shot...!' Chêne realized as they watched the bear collapse and fall to the ground, dead.

"_Phew."_ Francis exhaled as she lowered her rifle.

"Aunt Francis...!" Ciel said, surprised. Chêne sighed in relief.

'_Thank God.' _She thought as she loosened her grip on Ciel and Lizzie

"..." Ciel said as he held Lizzie and stared at the dead bear. "... Heh! _16 to 15._ It looks like I've lost this game... Aunt Francis." Ciel said, smirking. Although he hated losing, Ciel knew how to accept it gracefully when he actually was defeated. Francis had not only killed that bear, but she had saved his and Lizzie's lives... _He owed her_.

"Hmph. You've still got at least a decade before you can even think of winning against me." Francis said as she lowered her rifle. "... However... I commend you for daring to protect my daughter... with your life." She said, flashing him a debonair smile, before bowing slightly at the waist. _"And... I am in your debt." _

"_!_!" Ciel said, surprised.

"I would expect nothing less from the man who is to become my son... Lord Ciel Phantomhive." Francis told him seriously. Ciel blushed slightly. No one (other than Chêne had, once) had ever referred to him that way before, like he was more than just a replacement for his predecessor... "Now the game is over. Let's head back." Francis said as she straightened up and turned to leave.

=†=†=†=†=

CLIP. CLOP. CLIP. CLOP.

As Francis had suggested, their small hunting party was now returning to the manor. Sebastian led the way, carrying their rifles, and the huge bear over his shoulder. They had tied the bear to a long and sturdy tree branch, and a bag holding the smaller prey was tied to the end of the branch Sebastian wasn't holding. Chêne sweat dropped as she walked beside him, pushing the cart for the table and chairs, and now empty picnic basket. She was glad no one was suspicious, but... it was amazing that no one had figured out Sebastian wasn't human yet when he constantly did things like _casually carrying a 400lb bear on his back, by himself, like it was nothing!_ Behind them was Francis, and Ciel and Lizzie were bringing up the rear on his horse.

"... Hey. Over here... Butler." Francis said as she pulled her horse up beside the two servants. "You forgot this." She said as she held out one of the table knives. Chêne raised and eyebrow. That was not a mistake Sebastian would make...

"... Oh? How careless of me to forget a precious piece of silverware..." Sebastian said, smiling wryly as he held his hand out to accept the knife from Francis.

"Indeed. _You forgot it in the bear's head."_ Francis said calmly as she narrowed her eyes slightly at Sebastian. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Come to think of it... she might've seen a flash of silver when the chair broke... She glanced curiously at Sebastian as Francis continued to speak. "It was you who struck _it_ down, right? My bullets missed. With my daughter in danger, I had trouble aiming properly. I must be getting old. But a butler's duty is to save face on his master's behalf. So why did you let me win?" Francis asked sternly, suspicious of his motives.

"The young master has an inordinate talent for games. Consequently, he seems to overconfidently believe that he 'cannot lose'." Sebastian explained calmly. "But at times. It will be necessary for him... to carry himself with humility while striving for his goal... Otherwise, he will eventually trip up... as the place for which young master aims is not an easy one to reach. Perhaps it is not my place to say this, but..." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"?" Francis said, wondering what more Sebastian had to say on the matter.

"... I would like you to be an exemplar for my master, Marchioness." Francis stared at him, surprised. Chêne smiled. She definitely agreed with the demon on this one. "So... in other words, you used me. Humph!" Francis said, huffing indignantly. Did Sebastian take her for a fool.

"Ha. Ha. I did no such thing..." Sebastian said, smiling wryly. "Our master is now but a 'child'... yet he is also the 'head of the family.' An 'adult' who will be firm with him... is just what the young master needs." Sebastian explained.

"Don't say such proper things with that lecherous face of yours." Francis deadpanned with a gleam in her eye.

"..." Sebastian and Chêne said.

"Do I really seem that way to you?" Sebastian asked as Chêne sweat dropped.

"So if done for the sake of his master, a butler's duty includes admonishing said master by letting him get burned as necessary...?" Francis asked cynically. Sebastian had better not been endangering her nephew purposely...

"As I am... one hell of a butler... I only did what I thought _best for_ my master." Sebastian replied smoothly.

"As his 'servants' there is only so much that we can do for him." Chêne explained bravely. "It may be presumptuous of me, but I care for Ciel as though he were my younger brother, and I often treat him as such when there is no need to keep up appearances, however... as I am his 'maid,' Ciel still holds the upper hand and almost complete control over our relationship, and my ability to scold him when he needs it. I, too, will feel more at ease knowing Ciel has such a dependable role model." Chêne told Francis, smiling.

"Hmph. You two are a tricky pair." Francis said, smiling wryly as she shook her head. At least she knew that Ciel was in good hands.

=†=†=†=†=

The sun was starting to set by the time they reached the manor house.

"As the hunt was a success..." Sebastian said as he opened the door to let them in. "... I shall do my best to—"

"Ah~!" The three stooges said when they realized they had company. Mister Tanaka chuckled.

"Welcome baaaack~_!_!" Finni called out cheerfully as he, Mei-Rin, and Bard rushed forward to greet them. Chêne sweat dropped. The were all in tatters, and had bandages on their faces and hands... Bard even had a broken arm and an injured ankle. He was leaning on a crutch for support.

"_Wh-What is with you lot...!_?" Ciel demanded, flinching in surprise at their disheveled appearance. He sweat dropped. Just what had they been doing_!_? Sebastian glanced at Chêne. If this is what they looked like after Chêne had helped them, then he was almost afraid to ask what had happened. Chêne sweat dropped. She thought they would've at least changed their clothes to something a little cleaner...

"Heh!" Bard said, smirking, with a devil-may-care attitude as Finni held pulled a plate out from behind his back.

"Look, look~! We made this together~_!_!" Finni said, smiling radiantly as he showed them the plate of... what _exactly _was it_ supposed to be?_ The plate had been piled high with what looked like chocolate syrup, banana slices, melted ice cream, assorted candies, and... was that _rice_ on the very bottom...? They had stuck a whole bunch of candles and sparklers into the strange concoction... was it supposed to be a birthday cake_!_?

"_!_?" Ciel and Chêne said as idiot hairs popped out on their heads. The 'cake' was so colorful that it looked like the rainbow had thrown up... that was also most likely what

"Huuh?" Ciel asked, grimacing slightly, wondering why they even felt the need to do such a thing to begin with. The table setting— the china and silverware—was actually done fairly well... it was just a tad messy... The most disturbing thing was actually the fact that there were _several more_ bowls of the same strange concoction Finni had just showed them... But Chêne's cake had somehow managed to make it safely onto the table, so there was at least something normal to eat...

"I made donburi full up with young master's favorites!" Bard said proudly.

"I set the table. Following Mister Sebastian's example... and Mister Tanaka brought out the Bûche de Noël Chêne made." Mei-Rin said, blushing and fidgeting nervously.

"..." Sebastian, Chêne, and Ciel said, appalled, as they stared at the display. Chêne knew they didn't mean any harm, but... Francis loomed behind them, emitting a dark and dangerous aura. They gasped as they whipped their heads around to face their latest threat. 'Oh no_!_!' They thought, paling slightly.

"Hmph. They beat me to it." Francis said as she took a step towards Ciel. _That's_ what I came here to say today. Happy thirteenth birthday... Ciel." Francis told him, smiling affectionately at him as she placed a hand on his head. Chêne smiled, touched by the heartwarming scene. "And everyone... I hope you will continue taking care of both my daughter and my son." She told the servants, referring to Lizzie and Ciel.

Sebastian and Chêne nodded at Lizzie reassuringly, prompting a dazzling smile from the young girl. The other servants smiled warmly at Lizzie and Ciel too.

"_Thank you... so much."_ Ciel said, smiling wryly as he laughed. And for the first time in a while, it was a real, honest-to-goodness smile of happiness. Chêne had to resist the urge to glomp Ciel and his cuteness... for now at least. She would leave that up to Lizzie.

"Sebastian, you and Chêne have my gratitude for attending to us today." Francis told Sebastian while the others began sticking candles in the Bûche de Noël cake Chêne baked so Ciel could blow them out and make a wish.

"Yes, my Lady." Sebastian said, smiling as he bowed.

"There's just one thing I thought I ought to mention." Francis said.

"_!_?" Sebastian said, surprised_. What now?_

"You should thank Chêne for taking care of the shattered china... the ruined garden... and the burnt kitchen." Francis told him slyly, winking.

"So you knew all along?" Sebastian asked, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped and chuckled. "Yes, my Lady."

"It's a partyyy todaaay_!_!" Finni cheered. As Chêne lit the candles on the cake.

"Free booze~_!_! Free booze~_!_!" Bard cheered.

"Didn't you have enough last night..._!_?" Chêne asked him incredulously. "We're _not_ drinking alcohol at a thirteen-year-old's birthday party!" She told Bard firmly.

"Tch!" Bard said, clicking his tongue in disappointment.

"Marchioness, we're waiting for you to sing 'happy birthday'~!" Chêne said, smiling happily, as she positioned the cake in front of Ciel. Francis smiled as she joined them, and they all began cheerfully singing the _Happy Birthday_ song to Ciel. Sebastian watched silently for a moment, before he turned and quietly left the room.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Downstairs, Sebastian's private kitchen}

"Alas..." Sebastian said as he opened one of the cabinets in the dark room and removed a silver platter. He removed the cover, revealing a beautifully crafted birthday cake that was decorated with strawberries, icing roses, and a mini chocolate top hat. "... I suppose I shall not be needing _this._" Sebastian said, smiling wryly as he ran a hand through his slicked back hair, and tousled it, returning his raven locks to their original style. He had originally baked it last night, when he noticed that Chêne had not made a Bûche de Noël yet, just in case she didn't manage to make one in time. He slowly removed the glove on his left hand... the hand bearing the mark of his covenant with Ciel, as well as the 'ring' symbol of his bond with Chêne. "Goodness... Human creatures really are difficult to understand." Sebastian said as he dipped his black nailed finger into the soft chocolate top hat. "To think they consider _something like this..._" Sebastian licked his chocolate-coated finger. "... delicious... Now really." His crimson eyes glowed as the demon silently stood in solitaire, alone in the darkness.

"Ah!" Chêne said when she saw him, and ran into the kitchen. "I finally found you! What are you doing in here all by yourself?" Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She had been looking for him? He smiled softly at her, but Chêne was unfortunately too mesmerized by the cake to notice. "And why are you keeping such a delicious looking cake to yourse—_!_?" She demanded indignantly, but she was cut off when Sebastian scooped more chocolate onto his finger and stuck it in her mouth, silencing her. Chêne stared at him, eyes wide with shock. Sebastian smirked. She was stunned, like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Oh, is something the matter, Chêne? I thought you wanted a taste..." Sebastian said, smirking devilishly at her as his crimson eyes glowed. Chêne blinked, forcing herself out of her daze. She looked up into Sebastian's eyes. The jerk was definitely enjoying toying with her _way _too much... _Chêne decided it was time to fight back_. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise when Chêne began to slowly, almost sensually lick his finger with her tongue. He smirked as he raised his other hand, and caressed her cheek, leaning in closer to the petite girl's face.

_CHOMP._

Sebastian blinked in confusion and stared at Chêne, stunned. _She had just bitten him._ It hadn't really hurt that much, but it surprised him that she would actually dare to do such a thing. Chêne sucked some of the blood from his finger before opening her mouth and releasing him, taking a step back from the demon.

"My, Sebastian~! It's like you're a mind reader~! I was just thinking it was about time for my monthly 'blood donation.' Thank you, ever so much~!" Chêne said, smiling a sickly sweet shit-eating grin at him as she grabbed the cake and ran from the kitchen before he could react. Sebastian stared after her for a moment, stunned.

"... Heh." Sebastian said, smirking as his eyes glowed, amused by Chêne's sudden streak of mischievousness. "That little minx..." He said, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he followed after her. It didn't matter how far Chêne ran from him. He would always find her... _Always._

=†=†=†=†=

"Ah~!" Finni said excitedly when he glanced out the window. "Young Master! Young Master_!_! It's snowing~!" Finni said excitedly. As he ran up to the window, and watched as the pure white flakes floated down gently through the crisp winter night. Lizzie, Ciel, Francis, and Tanaka all turned to look. Tanaka was sitting on the nice, _new bearskin rug_.

"Ohh~! It's snowing_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly as she entered the room, holding Sebastian's cake. "I love snow~! It's always so beautiful to watch it fall like this..." Chêne said dreamily, smiling, as she watched the frozen flakes with child-like wonder and amazement.

"Yes. Pretty, isn't it—?" Sebastian said, smiling.

=†=†=†=†=

{Somewhere, out in the streets of London... near Big Ben}

"It's cold. Agni, what is this?" An Indian boy, who was wearing a scarf wrapped around his head, asked as he held his hand out to catch the snow.

"It is known as 'snow' and falls in Great Britain during the winter... My prince." His older traveling companion said. This man, though still rather young, had white hair.

"Snow..." The boy said, removing his scarf, and revealing wavy, dark-purple hair. "Great Britain, eh...? It is rather beautiful. I want to take it back and show it to mother." He said, smiling confidently.


	58. That Butler, Freeloading

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Freeloading<strong>_

* * *

><p>[[Narration for specific parts]]<p>

≥speech in Indian language≤

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_It's cold. Agni, what is this?" An Indian boy, who was wearing a scarf wrapped around his head, asked as he held his hand out to catch the snow._

"_It is known as 'snow' and falls in Great Britain during the winter... My prince." His older traveling companion said. This man, though still rather young, had white hair._

"_Snow..." The boy said, removing his scarf, and revealing wavy, dark-purple hair. "Great Britain, eh...? It is rather beautiful. I want to take it back and show it to mother." He said, smiling confidently._

* * *

><p>"Yaaay, snooow~!" Finni sang happily as he ran around the snow covered lawn of Ciel's London townhouse. Mei-Rin was building a snowman, Bard was making snowballs, and Mister Tanaka sipped his tea while sitting inside the shelter of his little igloo.<p>

"I made it too big, I did!" Mei-Rin cried as she struggled with the over-sized head she had made for the snowman.

"Adding stones'll make 'em just that much deadlier!" Bard said, smirking deviously, as he snow around some small stones he found. He was definitely going to get some payback on Sebastian and Chêne for pummeling him during their snowball fight at Ciel's birthday party the other day.

=†=†=†=†=

[[Winter— in Great Britain, it is an ashen season covered by thick, heavy clouds. With the Jack the Ripper case resolved, the hum of daily life returned to London. That peace, however, proved but a brief respite—]]

Londoners murmured amongst themselves as, disturbed by the sight before them, as they crowded around outside a certain coffeehouse, the scene of the latest incident. Several men had been stripped down to their underwear, and then strung up from the storefront with rope so that they were all hanging upside down in a rather humiliating manner. Each of the had a letter from the culprit stuck on them, and it bore a strange symbol at the bottom for a signature... it looked rather like a stylized tongue.

[[There occurred a curious incident in which Anglo-Indians frequenting the Hindustani coffeehouse near Portman Square were attacked, stripped, and hung upside down from the roof.]]

A few police officers arrived on the scene and began to try to control the crowd that was forming as they secured the crime scene and set up a ladder so they could take the poor humiliated and beaten, but still living victims.

[[Afterward, in a rash of similar incidents, aristocrats and military personnel who had returned from India were like wise assaulted all over London. The same notice was affixed to all of the victims—

'_Watch this wild, pathetic child of sloth and depravity. England is the motherland of the Devil, who robs and forces it's worthless, rotten, and ignorant culture on you instead! To all the idiots of the bitch-ruled land, you are the ones who deserve the vengeance of heaven!'_

—So it said.]]

=†=†=†=†=

A man shook with anger as he clutched the letter in his hand and stared at the strange symbol at the bottom of the page. The man was none other than Lord Randall, Commissioner of Scotland Yard.

"_Another incident! This is the twentieth one!_!" Randall roared angrily, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, as he crumpled up the note. "Haven't you been able to arrest the perpetrators yet, Abberline_!_?" He demanded of his subordinate.

"Sorry, Sir_!_!" Chief Inspector Abberline said earnestly, bowing profusely in apology to his superior police officer. Abberline was a ginger-haired man who had a mustache and a short goatee, and he was wearing a bowler hat.

"We let Jack the Ripper slip through our fingers, and that bloody brat snatched away our glory..." Randall grumbled angrily as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead.

"Ohh, do forgive me for being a brat." Ciel said drolly as he, Sebastian, and Chêne walked up to the coffeehouse. The police had already seen to it that the victims were taken to the hospital, but the ropes that had held them were still hanging from the roof. As far as Chêne could tell, there hadn't been any other sign of vandalism done to the store itself.

"Earl Phantomhive!" Lord Randall said, surprised. Chêne glanced at the crumpled letter in his hand and sweat dropped. Was that really how the _Commissioner of Scotland Yard _should treat important evidence found at a crime scene?

"You, Boy! How did you get in here_!_?" Abberline demanded nervously, hoping he wasn't going to get yelled at again because a civilian managed to get into the crime scene. "?" He said, surprised and confused when Lord Randall held out an arm to stop him from moving to escort Ciel and his servants from the crime scene.

"Earl Phantomhive... Why are you here_!_?" Lord Randall asked.

"Ha! I should think that would be obvious." Ciel said, smirking. "I've come to clean up after the bumbling hounds."

"_Wha—!"_ Lord Randall yelled incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, as Ciel snatched Abberline's clipboard from him, reading through the inspector's notes. Abberline flinched, startled by Ciel's boldness (more like rudeness). Who was this kid_!_?

"I see." Ciel said as he scanned the documents. "Only Anglo-Indians have been targeted in this case. And there don't appear to be any casualties as of yet."

"!" Randall said, gritting his teeth. _"Who gave you the right to—"_ He demanded, outraged, but he was cut off before he could continue his rant when Ciel nodded to Chêne, and she suddenly held the envelope that Ciel had received from the queen, showing Lord Randall the Royal Family crest that had been pressed into the wax seal on the letter. They had been very careful not to damage the seal when they opened the letter, just in case they needed it for a situation like this.

"I would not be here if mere bandits were to blame, but... I cannot rightly sit by as the royal family continues to be insulted." Ciel said, smirking cynically, as Lord Randall grit his teeth in frustration. "Hmph!" Ciel said, grinning smugly, as he handed the notes he had finished reading to Sebastian so that he and Chêne could read them as well, and read the letter left by the culprit. "I say, 'child of sloth and depravity' is a wonderfully accurate description on the part of our culprit. I'd have to agree that this country would be marginally better off without the Indian nabobs." Chêne furrowed her brow slightly as she concentrated on reading Abberline's notes and thinking over the information she already new about the circumstances of this time. The British Indian Empire. At the time, masses of Englishmen lived in the British colony of India. The third and fourth sons of well-to-do families, who could not live in luxury in their homeland... were able to live the elegant lives of 'noblemen' in India. Those who returned from India were called 'Anglo-Indians,' and... The many who were unable to shed their lifestyles of extravagance and idleness even after their return were known as 'Indian nabobs.'

"Even if they wallowed in base amusements while in India and are cowards who single mindedly squandered their fortunes, many of them are members of the British gentry. We must protect them!" Randall said.

"Gentry, hm...? Worthless." Ciel said dismissively as he stuck his tongue out, imitating the symbol on the perp's letter, as Chêne and Sebastian silently read through the papers Ciel had handed them. "In any case... What of this mark...?" He asked.

"It looks like a tongue... That actually makes sense, though, if the culprit is an Indian. The image of a protruding tongue like this is actually the symbol for one of their deities, so it fits with the 'vengeance of heaven' part... but this part about the devil feels strange if that really is the case..." Chêne said thoughtfully as she read the letter over Ciel's shoulder.

"How so?" Ciel asked. He was glad he had decided to just let Chêne come along this time. He originally didn't want her along, because it could be dangerous, but now that she was practically immortal, he didn't have to worry about that, and so far, Chêne was proving to be a rather useful source of information on this case.

"Well, this sounds like it's referring to the type of 'devil' found in Christianity, but Indians don't believe in a being like that. They only have a bunch of more minor 'demons.'" Chêne explained.

"And what does a maid know of such things_!_? I'll tell you why they drew a _tongue!_! _They're making a mockery of we British and Her Majesty, the Queen! How dare they cock about like this_..._!_!" Lord Randall roared angrily, another vein mark throbbing on his head. Chêne sweat dropped. She had a feeling that if Randall didn't calm down soon, he was probably going to have an aneurism. "The victims are all returnees from India. That means the perpetrator must be a vile Indian. Those bloody savages_!_!" He ranted.

"Commissioner Randall, please calm down..." Abberline pleaded nervously, slightly blue with shock at how his boss had just raised his voice so violently to a lady. He too thought Randall's blood pressure might be reaching critical mass.

"Ohhh? So that's why I was summoned here." Ciel said carelessly as he continued to read through Abberline's notes. "Most of the Indians who've stolen their way into Great Britain are holed up in the East End. The city police seem to have trouble dealing with the underworld there. So learning the exact number of stowaways or by what routes the make it here is rather problematic, hm?" Ciel said, smirking smugly. Randall clenched his fist and grit his teeth in frustration. Abberline sweat dropped. Everything Ciel had just said had been completely on the mark. "Well, if you don't mind, I'll be going about my business. I'd like to return to the manor as soon as possible, you see." Ciel said, before turning to Sebastian and Chêne. "Sebastian, Chêne, you've memorized the papers?" He asked them.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as Chêne reorganized the papers and put them back on the clipboard.

"Thank you. Your notes were very helpful." Chêne told Abberline, smiling politely, as she handed the bewildered inspector his clipboard.

"Come along, Chêne." Ciel said as he and Sebastian started walking away.

"Yes, Sir!" Chêne said, smiling as she hurried after them. It was so nice to be able to work with them, instead of just basically stalking them... like she usually had to whenever they tried to leave her behind... Abberline stared after them as they left, slightly stunned. That had been... odd...

"Commissioner Randall. Who in the world is that kid...?" Abberline asked, sweat dropping.

"Since you've seen for yourself, I suppose I have no choice but to fill you in... Abberline..." Randall said resignedly. "In this country, there exists a secret agency under direct control of the Queen. _It is known as 'Phantomhive.'_ The Phantomhive Earldom has headed up this agency through the generations... and the earls themselves have been called 'Watchdogs of the Queen' or the 'Aristocrats of Evil.'" He explained.

"Why 'evil'?" Abberline asked. "If he serves the Royal Family, are they not the same as u—"

"No." Randall said firmly. "_That_ is no such simple thing. In every civilization, there is both a 'Polite Society' and an 'Underworld.' And Great Britain is no exception. The rogue organization known as Phantomhive covers up any number of criminal acts carried out by the royals, and will stop at nothing to eliminate any and all who may seek to harm the Royal Family. By all rights, they function as the royal 'shadow'—A 'phantom' which should never have come into being." He said gravely. "The underbelly of the East End. The criminals and blackguards of other nations who congregate therein. So that these undesirables do not spill out into polite society, they employ their monstrous authority to rule over and police every inch of this country's underworld... That's... the 'Phantomhive Earldom' for you." Abberline glanced at the departing trio as they slipped further away into the crowded streets of London.

"So basically, they're the opposite of the police in that... they use the powers of 'evil' to carry out the Queen's orders...?" Abberline asked, disturbed. "A slip of a child like him?"

"That is no child. That is... the Devil himself." Randall said ominously.

Sebastian smirked as he walked beside his small master and Chêne.


	59. That Butler, Freeloading2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Freeloader 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_So basically, they're the opposite of the police in that... they use the powers of 'evil' to carry out the Queen's orders...?" Abberline asked, disturbed. "A slip of a child like him?"_

"_That is no child. That is... the Devil himself." Randall said ominously. _

_Sebastian smirked as he walked beside his small master and Chêne._

* * *

><p>"Young Master. We have arrived." Sebastian announced once they had reached their destination. He had led them to what looked like the street entrance of a basement, and the staircase seemed to lead on forever, but Ciel couldn't really see much, since it was cast in shadow.<p>

"—You sure this is it?" Ciel asked. It just looked like a rundown hole in the wall to him.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied confidently.

"I have to say, for some reason, I didn't expect _that guy_ to pick such a low-key place... I'd half expected something a little more showy." Chêne said honestly, smiling wryly. "It always feels a little weird going 'underground' since we don't have basements in New Orleans, since we're technically below sea level... we don't even burry our dead in the ground. We have to build mini mausoleums to shelter and protect their coffins." She said as she stared down the dark stairwell.

"You need not accompany us. Our destination is not any place for a lady." Sebastian said, flashing her a shit-eating grin. Chêne raised an eyebrow at him, and scoffed.

"Since when have I ever been _'a Lady'_? Besides, Ciel is going, and he's thirteen. You'll have to do better than that if you want to get rid of me, Sebastian!" Chêne huffed indignantly as she immediately started marching down the dark stairwell. Sebastian smiled wryly in amusement.

"Well then, Young Master. Shall we brave the darkness as well?" He asked Ciel, smirking.

"Hmph! Do you really need to ask?" Ciel deadpanned as he followed after Chêne. After they had gone a certain distance, they found that the stairwell was illuminated by the dim glow of Chinese lanterns that had been affixed to the stone walls here and there.

"Do watch your step." Sebastian warned Ciel. The dim lighting might be enough for Sebastian and Chêne to see perfectly in, but Ciel was still just a human, and it was probably just barely enough light for him to even be able to make out that there were steps. They soon reached a double-door that had been decorated with an ornate oriental motif.

"Now this is a little more like what I was expecting!" Chêne said, smiling wryly.

KACHACK.

"!" Chêne and Ciel said when Sebastian opened the door, and a cloud of smoke washed over them, baptizing them in a sickly sweet scent. Chêne gagged, and she and Ciel coughed when they inhaled the overwhelming scent. Chêne grimaced. She really hoped that smoke wasn't what she thought it was...

"What an awful smell..." Ciel said as they both covered their noses. Chêne glanced at Sebastian, and was surprised to see that he wasn't affected by the weird smoke at all... which was strange because his nose was even more sensitive than hers, so it had to be torture... Sebastian had amazing will power.

"Try not to breathe in too much of this smoke, Ciel..." Chêne warned him as they stepped futher into the strange 'establishment.' She hoped it wasn't possible to get a addicted to opium just from smelling it...

"...So you've finally managed to find this place... Earl." Said the very man they had come to see. Ciel could just make out his silhouette in the smoky and dimly lit room. The mysterious man was lounging on an oriental sofa, and there seemed to be another person with him. "I see you have brought Miss Maid with you, as well... How strange to be facing you here like this." The mysterious figure said as he took a drag on his pipe, and exhaled the smoke. "But I've... always believed this day would come." He said as they came closer.

"_And what sort of day would that be?"_ Ciel demanded darkly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"_Just what are you trying to say, Lau?"_ Chêne asked sternly, giving the Chinaman a sharp glare, as a vein mark throbbed on her forehead. Now that they were closer, they could see that the person sitting with Lau was actually a pretty (and somewhat scantily clad by Victorian standards) Chinese girl who was sitting on _his lap,_ there were lots of other scantily clad girls too. They were all lying on the sofa, and fawning over Lau as he lounged nonchalantly and smoked his Chinese pipe_. What was this—his harem!_?

"I say~! Welcome, Earl~! It's been too long~!" Lau said, smiling innocently (?). "Would you like to sit on my lap too, Chêne? If you tell me what you want for Christmas, 'Santa' might get it for you~!"

"—'_Santa' my ass!_" Chêne yelled incredulously, multiple vein marks throbbing on her forehead. "I hope the real thing buries you under a mountain of coal—Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" Chêne muttered darkly, her face flushing red out of anger and embarrassment.

"My, my, you're such a tsundere, Miss Maid~!" Lau said, smiling and laughing. Chêne sweat dropped. Why does a Chinese man keep talking like he's Japanese...? "Anyway, have you been well?" He asked Ciel. "Ah! I heard you celebrated you birthday not long ago? Good tidings to you~!" The girl in his lap was watching them silently as Lau congratulated Ciel. Chêne couldn't help but feel that there was something about this girl that was different from the others that were hanging all over Lau. She was wearing a short purple china dress that had a butterfly pattern on it and a short green jacket. Her hair was pulled up into several very thin, but long braids, and they were wrapped around two little buns on either side of her head that looked almost like little horns, or pointy cat ears, and she wore a silk peony flower in her hair. Around each of her ankles, the girl wore an anklet that had tiny bells tied onto them for charms.

"_Never mind that!"_ Ciel said, flustered. He was blushing too.

"Why are you blushing?" Sebastian asked Ciel. He seemed totally blasé about the whole 'sexy China girl harem' thing Lau had going. Sebastian could understand why Chêne was flustered, but...

"There's something I want to ask you." Ciel told Lau, deciding to pretend he didn't hear Sebastian.

"Ahh." Lau said in realization. "For the Earl to go to the trouble of visiting this dank cellar of an opium den must mean you're here... about _that_, yes?"

"Brother would you like some? How about you, Sister?" Two of the Chinese girls asked as they offered Sebastian and Chêne a pipe to smoke opium with.

"I shall pass, thank you." Sebastian politely declined, sweat dropping, and smiling wryly, as Chêne vehemently shook her head, declining their gracious (?) offer.

"Word's gotten around already, has it? You've a sharp ear. Yes, I'm looking into that series of incidents." Ciel said. "When it comes to Orientals, talking to you, the big wig of this patch, is always the most expedient... British branch manager of the Chinese trading company 'Kon Ron'... Or should I say... _top official of the Chinese crime syndicate Qing Bang—Lau."_ Ciel said seriously.

"I really would prefer you not call me that. It's much too stuffy and all. Riiiight? Isn't it just, Ran-Mao?" Lau said playfully as he caressed the chin of the girl sitting on his lap.

"Yes..." Ran-Mao said softly, nodding her head in agreement.

"Stop puffing away and hear me out! I've left the management of the oriental quarter to you. So you've an idea of the number of people coming around these parts, yes?" Ciel asked him.

"Now, Now, this is just a bit of mint." Lau said, smiling as he set down his oriental pipe. "Certainly. I'm following your orders to the letter, Lord Earl. Such is the price I must pay to conduct 'business' in this country's underworld, after all."

"Then—" Ciel said, about to ask his first question.

"But first, I have a question to pose to you as well, my Lord." Lau said mysteriously.

"?" Ciel said, wondering what it could be.

"These incidents of which you speak... What are they exactly?" Lau asked, smiling innocently at them.

"_Why, you..."_ Ciel said darkly, suddenly feeling completely drained both mentally and physically. 'We have to take it from the top, huh?' He thought, chagrined.

"He was simply chiming in when he thought it appropriate. I am sure of that." Sebastian said, trying to keep a straight face.

"You see, Ciel? This is why you shouldn't do drugs... they fry your brain, like an egg in a frying pan that's being turned into scrambled eggs..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"My, my, how hurtful you can be, Miss Maid~!" Lau said, placing a hand over his heart in feigned astonishment.

=†=†=†=†=

{One long explanation later...}

"—Oh, now I see!" Lau said, finally getting the whole story. They were walking through the streets of the East End now, and Lau was leading them to their first possible suspect. "So you'd like to capture that prankster!" He said, grinning.

"There haven't been any deaths yet, but the gentry and military personnel are being targeted." Ciel explained.

"Ah, you have to make an example of him to keep the common folk in line! There simply is no end to your troubles, earl." Lau said, sighing sympathetically as he shrugged.

"What drivel." Ciel huffed.

'Well... he does have a point though..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Incidentally , we have walked quite a distance. At which lodging house are the Indians based?" Sebastian asked Lau. Ciel and Chêne paused when they heard that. Now that they looked around... they had wandered into an area that was extremely rundown, even by the East End's standards.

"Nn?" Lau said, stopping as he too looked around. "Ah! Do forgive me~! I was so caught up in our conversation that I think I may have gotten us lost~!" Lau said, smiling innocently, as he playfully bopped himself on the head. "Ha! Ha! Ha! Silly me~!"

"_Why, yoooou—!"_ Ciel growled dangerously as a vein mark throbbed on his head.

"..." Chêne said as she stared at Lau. "If I get raped, I'm totally blaming you." She said bluntly. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her and gave Chêne a funny look. Chêne sweat dropped, and smiled apologetically. "Sorry... I'm feeling a little paranoid at the moment... and it doesn't help that I'm having a really strong feeling of déjà vu... even though I know I've never been here before." She explained. "I get the feeling we shouldn't stick around for too long."

"Then first let's retrace our steps back, and—_Ow!_!" Ciel said, surprised when he turned around and bumped into something... or rather, someone. Ciel was a little surprised to find that he had bumped into a tall Indian man. The man was glaring down at him. "Par—" Ciel said, deciding to apologize since he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going.

"_Owwww!_! _I think I just cracked a riiiiib—!_" The man yelled suddenly as he grabbed is sides, as though he was in pain.

"Wha—_!_?" Ciel yelled, incredulously, flinching in shock. There was no way he had bumped into him that hard! Sebastian and Chêne sighed. It was totally obvious the man was faking it. If the fragile Ciel was fine, then there was no way this man could've been injured so severely, and they hadn't even heard his rib crack, either.

"Someone help!" The faker yelled.

"You okay_!_?" Another Indian man asked, as Indians seemed to suddenly be crawling all over the place.

"What happened_!_? This's terrible_!_!" They yelled.

"Wow, what a refreshingly clichéd development we have here..." Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped.

"Oh my." Lau said when they found themselves surrounded by a group of Indian thugs.

"The little master's awfully well-dressed for an East Ender." The faker said as he grabbed Ciel roughly by the front of his coat, surprising the boy. "You a noble?"

_WHAP._

Ciel calmly smacked the man's hand away.

"_I gotta demand damages for you banging into me, kid!_!_ Leave everything you've got on ya behind, ya hear!_?" 'Faker' yelled.

"..." Ciel said, chagrined. As if that was going to happen.

"And once again, you have gotten yourself caught by a second rate thug, Young Master." Sebastian deadpanned.

"For someone with a 'broken rib' this guy sure is energetic..." Chêne said sarcastically. "How should we deal with this?"

"How? Just get rid of them quick." Ciel replied. They had better things to do than deal with these fools.

"As you wish." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he adjusted his gloves.

"Should we break his ribs for real? People like his really piss me off..." Chêne deadpanned. Ciel sweat dropped. Was Chêne PMSing?

"_Make your maid strip too, while you're at it!_!" 'Faker' yelled suddenly, pointing at Chêne.

"_Strip! Strip! Strip!"_ The other thugs cheered.

"_What the hell—!_?" She yelled incredulously, vein mark throbbing on her forehead, as Sebastian held her back so she wouldn't recklessly get herself into trouble. "Let me go! I'll muderize 'em_!_!" Personally, Sebastian was in complete agreement with Chêne's feelings at the moment, but it would be best if they didn't simply rush in so recklessly.

"And ya know... the Indians around here have it in for you nobles." Faker told them, continuing to ramble, since he thought they had the upper hand. _"You dragged us all the way here, and then just threw us out like trash! The lot of you British are self-serving bastards!_!" He yelled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends cheered.

"I'm actually American, though..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

_It's your fault we've been reduced to leading lives of misery like sewer rats!" _Faker said darkly as he pulled a knife from under his ratty cloak.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends leered.

"_You trampled our nation under your shod feet!" _Faker yelled.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends leered.

"_Now taste the humiliation of being plundered for yourselves!" _Faker jeered at them as he pointed his blade at them.

"_Taste it!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends yelled.

"That aside, there's something I would like to ask you." They heard a young man say.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends cheered.

"_Yeah! First off, I gotta ask you something!_!" Faker yelled, not missing a beat, as he started to raise the knife.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends cheered.

"If you prove useful, I'll treat you to something delicious in reward." The same voice from before said.

"_Yeah!_!_ Yeah!_!_"_ His friends yelled.

"_Yeah! Something delicious!_!" Faker roared as he raised the knife high above his head.

"_Fish!_!_ Yeah!_!" His friends cheered.

"_Typical. I was just starting to feel a bit peckish!_!" Faker yelled. He and his thug friends suddenly froze when they realized what they had been saying.

"_DAH! THAT ISN'T IIIT!_!" They all yelled incredulously, cutting the air with their hands like stereotypical tsukomi, when they whipped their heads around to face the new comer who had been speaking to them.

"Quiet down, you lot." The purple haired boy said calmly. He and his white-haired companion were dressed in the clothing of Indian nobles. "I'm looking for someone. Have you seen an Indian like this?" He asked as he held up a crude drawing of what was probably _supposed to be_ a woman... it looked like a clapping seal in a wig to Chêne, though...

They all stared at him, stunned. Was he really going to ask them that at a time like this? Did he not see that these thugs were in the middle of trying to commit a crime_!_? Faker gasped, snapping out of it.

"_Hunh!_? _Don't interrupt us, you cur!"_ Faker yelled, brandishing his knife at the purple haired boy.

"How dare you call me a cur. I am asking you a question." The boy said calmly. "...Nn?" He said curiously when he spotted Ciel and the others. "What's going on? Are you fighting a duel?" He asked. Chêne sweat dropped. What kind of duel involved 10+ people against three? Wait... _three!_? Chêne looked around. Where the heck was Lau_!_?

"Hey, don't igno—" Faker said indignantly, sweating nervously.

"He has a ≤khansama≥ with him..." The boy said as he pushed Faker aside and loomed over Ciel.

"Hey!" Faker said indignantly.

"Are you... a British noble?" The boy asked Ciel.

"And what if I am?" Ciel asked calmly, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Then I shall ally with my brothers in this battle." The boy declared. "Agni!"

'What battle...? No matter how you look at it, this is a lynching...' Chêne thought, chagrined.

"Yes, your highness." The white-haired man said, stepping forward.

"_Defeat them!"_ The purple haired boy ordered.

"≤Jo aagyaa.≥ This right hand with which God has blessed me... shall I wield for my master." The white haired man said.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! XD I added a link to a holiday pick of all three of them as lagniappe for the holidays ^_^

In case your wondering why Chene is dressed as a Native American, she's actually part Natchez/Cherokee (like 1/32 part, but it's there ^_^;) Chene, like most Americans, is a mix of several different heritages from her ancestors, and they are:

French, French Creole, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, and Natchez/Cherokee Indian (I have it written this way because the Natchez tribe, who were originally living in Louisiana, was pushed out of their territory by the French, and they were absorbed by one of the Cherokee tribes in Oklahoma.


	60. That Butler, Freeloading3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Freeloading 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Then I shall ally with my brothers in this battle." The boy declared. "Agni!" _

'_What battle...? No matter how you look at it, this is a lynching...' Chêne thought, chagrined._

"_Yes, your highness." The white-haired man said, stepping forward._

"_Defeat them!" The purple haired boy ordered._

"≤_Jo aagyaa.≥ This right hand with which God has blessed me... shall I wield for my master." The white haired man said._

* * *

><p>The white-haired man, Agni, removed the bandage that had been covering his hand. Chêne was a little surprised when she saw that the previously bandaged had was perfectly healthy and unscarred. She narrowed her eyes slightly, confused. Why did he have it bandaged then...?<p>

Agni narrowed his eyes and glared sharply at them as he suddenly lunged towards Sebastian, and aimed a swift blow at the demon butler's head.

_WHAM!_

Sebastian blocked the blow, but Chêne noticed that he winced slightly when he did. Sebastian furrowed his brow and frowned slightly, wondering why his arm was tingling from this man's blow. Sebastian quickly grabbed Ciel and tucked him under his arm.

"Wh—_Uwah!_?" Ciel yelled, startled.

"Duck!" Sebastian warned Chêne as Agni swung his leg in large sweeping motion that would've knocked all three of them on the ground if they hadn't managed to avoid the blow at the last minute.

"Whoa!" Chêne yelled, surprised by the white-haired man's speed. It was like being attacked by another Sebastian.

"Get back, Chêne." Sebastian said firmly as Agni pivoted around to face them, and began delivered delivering blow after blow to Sebastian.

_WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!_

Sebastian managed to block most of the blows with his arm, but he was obviously at a disadvantage, since he was holding Ciel, and had to shield him too.

'_So swift!'_ Sebastian thought as a Agni's fist flew past his head.

"Sebas—!" Chêne yelled, moving to help him, but she was cut off by Faker.

"Don't you dare... forget about us_!_!" Faker yelled at her as he thrust his knife at her. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise for half a second, but then she smirked.

"The person I am today is stronger than the person I was yesterday!" Chêne said determinedly as she grabbed his wrist and head butted him. She wasn't going to hesitate. She wasn't going to ever let herself get injured to the point that she scared Ciel like on the night Madam Red stabbed her again!

"_Urgh_—_!_?" Faker cried out in pain as he stumbled back away from her, holding his face. Agni rushed forward to punch Sebastian, but the demon butler saw an opportunity, and ducked—resulting in Agni not only missing _him,_ but Agni instead ended up punching Faker.

_CRACK!_

"Ouch...!" Chêne said, wincing. That had to hurt.

"_Ah!"_ Agni said, surprised. Sebastian took the opportunity to run.

"Chêne!" Sebastian called to her, motioning for her to follow him.

"Forgive me, brother! I will tend to your wounds shortly!" Agni said as he ran in pursuit of them. The other thugs must've decided it was their turn to act, because the stepped in front of the two Phantomhive servants and their master, cutting off their escape route.

"_Hold i—Gfff!"_ One of the men tried to yell as Sebastian jumped up, and stepped on his face, using him as a springboard to get over the wall of people blocking their way.

"_Sorry!"_ Chêne said, sweat dropping and smiling apologetically, as she followed Sebastian, and imitated his movements. Ciel sweat dropped.

_WHIZ!_

"!" Chêne said as she and Sebastian looked up to see Agni flying at them after he flipped into the air.

_WHAM!_

Agni reached out with both hands and hit both Chêne and Sebastian in the elbow when they tried to block the blow.

"_!_?" Chêne cried in surprise. She could feel a weird tingling sensation, just before her arm went completely numb, and it fell uselessly limp at her side. She managed to stumble back before Agni could hit her with another blow, but Sebastian stood his ground, unaffected.

_WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!_

Chêne's eyes widened slightly as she watched Agni target different pressure points on Sebastian's body.

'_That's why my arm went numb!_ He's targeting our nerves_!_!' Chêne thought, her eyes widening in realization. Agni narrowed his eyes when he realized his attacks were not having their desired affect on Sebastian. He jumped back, putting a safe difference between the two of them.

"I have struck your ≤marma≥ numerous times. Normally, your arm would be paralyzed by now, like that girl's." Agni told Sebastian, staring cautiously at him as he maintained the proper stance that would enable him to attack and defend as needed should their fight continue. Sebastian glanced at Chêne out the corner of his eye. She was holding her left arm in front of herself defensively, but her right arm, the one Agni had struck, was hanging limply at her side.

"Hah!" Ciel and Chêne gasped. Sebastian was letting his inhumanness show too obviously!

"Hey! We were just passing through when those guys picked a fight with us!" Chêne said quickly as Ciel started to try to wriggle free from Sebastian's grip.

"Let me down!" He whisper yelled at his demon butler. They needed to distract them from Sebastian's unusual behavior. "Are all Indians barbarians who indiscriminately attack any Englishmen they lay their eyes on_!_?" Ciel demanded of the two newcomers indignantly.

"Yeah! I'm not even British, and they tried to make me strip...!" Chêne said, sniffling for extra effect. That got purple's attention.

"What?" The purple-haired boy asked, furrowing his brow as he frowned. He turned to the group of thugs. "You there! Did you attack the runt and his companions without a valid reason?" He questioned them.

"_Hunh_? Reason?" They asked, sweat dropping.

"We can't have that!" Purple hair said, placing his hands on his hips as he frowned at them in disapproval. "The fool is he who wages war without cause."

'You mean, like you...?' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. This had nothing to do with him, until he stuck his nose into their business without knowing anything.

"Agni!" Purple hair said, getting the attention of the white-hair man. "_In this case, our brothers are at fault! Ally with the runt and company!"_ He declared bluntly.

"Yes, your highness!" Agni replied faithfully.

"_... EH...?"_ They all said as British, American, and Indian alike stared at the two of them in disbelief. _Just how freakin' arbitrary could a person be!_?

=†=†=†=†=

{One extremely one-sided beat down later...}

"All done, Lord Soma~!" Agni said, smiling brightly as he saluted purple hair from on top of the mound of _unconscious thugs_ that he was kneeling on. Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne stared at the scene, dazed. Ciel and Chêne had idiot hairs popping out of their heads. Chêne hadn't seen a beat down this bad by anyone other than Sebastian since her dad _totally owned_ her kidnappers...

"Good_!_!" Purple hair—Soma, said firmly, nodding in approval. "Sorry about your arm, girl." He told Chêne as he leaned down and picked up Ciel's top hat, which had fallen off of his head in the struggle.

"Uh... it's okay? I'm already starting to recover from it..." She said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. How should she react to this...?

"Hey, you two. You're not hurt?" Soma asked Sebastian and Ciel.

"N—No..." Sebastian said... If Chêne was feeling slightly puzzled by their strange behavior— Sebastian was a ship lost at sea, without a compass, and being tossed around in a storm—He _really_ didn't get humans sometimes...

"And you, runt. A child should not be wandering in a place like this. It's dangerous." Soma told Ciel as he slapped Ciel's top hat back onto his head.

"_!_?" Ciel said, startled by the sudden impact.

"I'm still on the hunt for someone, so I'll be taking my leave. Farewell." Soma said as he turned to leave. Agni smiled and bowed goodbye to them.

"≤Alvida...≥" Chêne said, dazed as she waved goodbye. She felt like she'd just been swept up in a hurricane, and she wasn't the only one. Ciel and Sebastian stared after them, stunned.

"Lord Soma, you have done a good deed~!" Agni said as they walked away.

"It was my duty as a child of God." Soma said casually.

"Myyy—! Those two were something else!" Lau said. They perked up when they heard that, and started looking around for the China man. He was on the roof of the building behind them...

"_And just where have you been this whole time?"_ Ciel demanded, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. While they were in danger, he had just been calmly watching from safety this whole time_!_?

"_How did you even get up there!_?" Chêne asked incredulously.

"Oh, don't be like that~! Why, I was waiting for a chance to save you, okay?"

"English roads are too complicated_!_!" Soma huffed.

"Let us go left next." Agni suggested as they turned the corner and disappeared from their sight.

"In any case, who were they? They don't live in the east end, that must is obvious." Lau said as he swiftly jumped down from the roof without breaking a sweat.

"Yes, they were well dressed, and their English didn't have any trace of an Indian accent... they must have learned it from an actual Englishman." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"Ah, by the way, Miss Maid~!" Lau said as he leaned on Chêne, using her head as an armrest. "What was that strange phrase you said as they were leaving?" he asked curiously. Chêne blinked as she thought for a moment.

"Oh! You mean ≤Alvida≥?" Chêne asked, cocking her head to the side slightly. "It's Hindi for 'goodbye'... Mr. Raja's mother taught it to me."

"Mr. Raja...? You mean that Indian restaurant owner you mentioned before? The one that makes 'the best damn yellow curry on the face of the planet?" Ciel asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yep. Mr. Raja's mother, Mrs. Karishma, always wanted a girl, and we were regular's at their place, so we became friends. She would often dote on me and teach me things while we waited for our food."

"Be that as it may... I should think our first priority is to take these people to the city police." Sebastian said, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped, and kneeled beside the thugs Agni had just defeated for them. They were out cold. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Yeah... that might be a good idea..." Chêne said, smiling wryly.


	61. That Butler, Freeloading4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Freeloading 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Be that as it may... I should think our first priority is to take these people to the city police." Sebastian said, smiling wryly as he sweat dropped, and kneeled beside the thugs Agni had just defeated for them. They were out cold. Chêne sweat dropped._

"_Yeah... that might be a good idea..." Chêne said, smiling wryly._

* * *

><p>{Later that evening, at the Phantomhive London Townhouse...}<p>

"We labored in vain..." Ciel groaned, exhausted, as they entered the town house, and Sebastian took Ciel and Lau's coats. "And now it's begun to snow..."

"You say 'snow' like it's a bad thing..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "I'm sure we'll find something soon." She reassured Ciel.

"The culprit may be among them. Let us wait for Lord Randall to contact us." Sebastian said, smiling wryly at Ciel's chagrin. Lord Randall was presently in the process of interrogating the thugs that had tried to mug them.

"_Really!_ I'm tired of being summoned to London every time a silly incident like this occurs_!_!" Ciel huffed as he marched off to the sitting room, so he could finally sit down and relax after such a long and irritating day.

"Haha~! You must howl if there is even the faintest possibility of harm befalling Her Majesty! Such is the difficult role of the watchdog, Earl." Lau told Ciel, smiling. "But I don't mind in the least since I get to play with you~!"

"Young Master!" Mei-Rin said excitedly as she, Bard, Finni, and Mister Tanaka suddenly popped out and peeked around the doorframe.

"Welcome hooome~_!_!" Finni said cheerfully, smiling brightly at them.

"Yes, home~!" Mei-Rin chimed happily. They had been good and played in the snow all day instead of trying to clean and cook, just like Chêne had asked. So the house was still fully intact and tidy upon their return.

"You brought all your servants with you this time?" Lau asked, smiling. He was slightly puzzled as to why Ciel would do that when Chêne and Sebastian were enough last time...

"Yes. It would be troublesome to leave them behind at the manor." Sebastian said gravely with a serious gleam in his eye. Chêne sweat dropped. After the others had managed to completely destroy the mansion, any trust Sebastian had in them to behave themselves in their absence had been completely destroyed as well.

"Ohhh?" Lau said curiously.

"Please, _Don't ask."_ Chêne said, sighing, as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well! You must be worn out from the cold. I will have tea ready right away." Sebastian said, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Oh, that sounds great! I'll make a snack to go with it." Chêne said, smiling.

"Haah. Indeed." Ciel agreed, sighing wearily. He could use something sweet to perk him up.

"I would prefer Chai to English tea." A familiar voice said.

"Indeed." Ciel agreed.

"_Eh?"_ Ciel, Chêne, Sebastian, and Lau said as they whipped their heads around when they realized who had spoken. There, standing inside the Town house with them, were the two strange and well-dressed Indians they had met before—Agni and Soma.

"This is awfully small compared to my palace." Soma said as he looked around.

"Wh—_!_? Wh—_!_? _Why are you here!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously. Idiot hairs popped out on Chêne and Sebastian's heads as they sweat dropped_. _Wasn't the better question 'how'... As in, _'How in the world did they find them and manage to slip in without any of them noticing!_?

"What do you mean, why? We became acquainted but a moment ago. Have you forgotten me already?" Soma said bluntly.

"Became acquainted, you say..." Ciel sputtered indignantly.

"Huh? What's going on?" Finn and the other servants asked Chêne as he tugged on her sleeve. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly at their innocently curious stares.

"It's a long story..." Chêne told them.

"And I rescued you." Soma added.

"Res—_!_? How_!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously. _They_ were the ones who attacked him, and Sebastian could've handled those thugs just fine_!_!

"In India it is commonplace to invite your benefactors into your home and make them welcome. There's a saying that goes 'entertain your guests even if you sell off your heirlooms." Soma stated.

"There's also a saying my grandmother had that goes 'a good hostess never turns away a guest, but a good guest never outstays their welcome'..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Hey, where's the bed?" Soma asked, glancing around the room and totally ignoring Chêne.

"Why a bed?" Lau asked.

"In my country, one invites one's guests to one's bed to sit together in a circle, enjoying each other's company." Soma explained.

"Myyyyy Priiince~!" Agni called out cheerfully. "Loooord Somaaaa_!_! There is one heeeere_!_!" Agni said, giving them all a sunny smile as he waved to Soma from on the stairs.

"That is well." Soma said.

"_Hey!_!" Ciel yelled incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. "Listen to me_!_!"

"Then, good. It is a tad small, but we shall stay here for a while. Much obliged." Soma said carelessly as he followed Agni up the stairs. Ciel flinched in surprise, and sweat dropped before running after them.

"_Wait a minute!_! _Why must I take care of you all of a sudden!_?" Ciel demanded as he skidded to a stop in the doorway of the guest bedroom that they had found.

"I haven't given any thought to other lodgings." Soma said frankly as he plopped down onto the bed. "Besides, is it custom for Englishmen to throw their benefactors out into the cold?" Soma asked, grinning.

"—_!"_ Ciel said, tuning blue with shock from the down spiral that Soma's willfulness and culture shock was giving his brain.

"This and that are two different things..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she and Sebastian entered the room, having followed after Ciel.

"_Moreover! Just who are you!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously. As Soma rolled around on the soft bed, like he was in heaven and on a soft, fluffy cloud. He wasn't going to be pushed around in his own home like this by—_by some nameless, weird foreigner!_!

"Me? I am a prince." Soma said, smiling slightly at them.

"A prince...?" Sebastian asked. Well, it certainly did explain the holier than thou attitude...

"This gentleman is the twenty-sixth child of the Raja of Bengal... Prince Soma Asam Kadar." Agni explained, smiling as them as Soma stretched out and lounged on the bed, laying on his side, with his head propped up on one hand.

"Tw-Twenty-sixth..._!_?" Chêne asked, stunned. _Was that even flippin' possible...!_?

"We shall be imposing on you for a bit... Runt." Soma said, deciding to give Ciel a 'nickname' since he hadn't bothered to find out his proper first name yet.

_CRACK._

'Ah...' Chêne thought as she glanced at Ciel. That couldn't be good.

Ciel's inner calm snapped, and he turned blue with shock and anger as multiple vein marks throbbed on his head, and he tried _really hard_ to restrain himself from doing something that Chêne was sure Soma would regret.

"My Prince! Agni will make some Chai as a token of friendship! On a cold day, Chai full of ginger is the best." Agni said, smiling cheerfully as he pulled a ginger root out from underneath his cloak. "I will borrow the kitchen!" He said brightly as he hummed merrily and wandered of to find it. Chêne sweat dropped. Sebastian was not going to like that...

"Ah! Please wait. If it is tea you want, I shall—" Sebastian said quickly as he hurried after the man, sweat dropping. The demon butler was looking rather flustered since he wasn't quite sure how to handle this... Ciel hadn't given him orders to remove the two strangers, so they were technically still 'guests,' and as the Phantomhive butler, he could not allow a guest to have to go to the trouble of serving himself.

"I'll just take this opportunity to esca—I mean go bake some gingerbread cookies to go with the ginger chai tea, then...!" Chêne said as she ducked out the room, feeling slightly guilty for leaving Ciel there by himself, with the other servants... who were all googily-eyed over a 'real-live prince.'

"Amaziiiiing~! So you're reeeeally a priiiince—_!_?" Finni asked Soma excitedly with sparkling eyes.

"A-A prince..." Mei-Rin said, blushing, as she stared at Soma.

"First time I've seen a real prince in the flesh." Bard said casually, deciding to play it cool... the effect was ruined by his eyes though, since they were wide with surprise. He sweat dropped.

"You may approach." Soma told them, grinning smugly.

"So what's this Bengal-whatever country liiiike_!_?" Finni asked curiously as they all immediately zoomed over to Soma's side.

"It is a holy land blessed by the goddess Kali and the River Ganges." Soma said, enjoying the attention.

"You are the prince of a sacred country, are you?" Mei-Rin asked excitedly.

"Ah, it's in east India." Bard said, nodding.

"..." Ciel said, stunned at how quickly his servants had gone over to the darkside.

"Well, my Lord. Your stay should be a lively one. Hahaha~!" Lau said, smiling, as he shrugged in a 'what can you do' kind of way while his servants cavorted with the enemy.

"_...!"_ Ciel said darkly, freezing at the horrible thought. _No—_

"_GET OOOOOUT!_!" Ciel shouted angrily, multiple vein marks throbbing on his head. The young earls cry of frustration and desperation echoed throughout the chilly, London night air.


	62. That Butler, Foriegn

**Author's note: Sorry for the wait, but I needed to take a short break from writing for a bit... but I'll still continue to post regularly! ^_^  
><strong>

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Foreign<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Well, my Lord. Your stay should be a lively one. Hahaha~!" Lau said, smiling, as he shrugged in a 'what can you do' kind of way while his servants cavorted with the enemy._

"_...!" Ciel said darkly, freezing at the horrible thought. No—_

"_GET OOOOOUT!_!_" Ciel shouted angrily, multiple vein marks throbbing on his head. The young earls cry of frustration and desperation echoed throughout the chilly, London night air._

* * *

><p>"Lord Ciel. It is time for you to wake up." Ciel heard someone say.<p>

"Nn...? Lord... Ciel...?" Ciel said groggily as he stirred in his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning~!" Agni told Ciel cheerfully, smiling brightly, as he loomed over the young earl.

"_!_?" Ciel shouted in shock and surprise, shaking the whole townhouse.

"≤Namaste jii≥... Lord Ciel." Agni said, smiling brightly at Ciel as he pressed his palms together, as though praying. "Breakfast is ready." He said happily.

"_Wh—! What are you doing in my room!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously as he quickly covered his right eye, hiding his contract mark.

=†=†=†=†=

"_!_?" Chêne said, surprised when she heard Ciel's incredulous yelp echo throughout the house. She paused in tying on her bonnet. Chêne sighed as she removed it and her winter coat. It looked like her personal Christmas shopping was going to be delayed... _again_.

"My, Chêne. You are up awfully early this morning Sebastian remarked as he casually entered her room. She sweat dropped. Sebastian usually woke her up in the morning since she slept through almost anything other than the sound of a human voice or some kind of disaster or fire... Chêne was not a light sleeper.

"I heard one of our guests, Agni, talking out loud to himself as he was wandering around this morning, and it woke me up." Chêne explained, smiling wryly. "So after I helped him, I decided I might as well go do my Christmas shopping since I was supposed to have today off, in order to make up for when I had to cancel my last day off to help you when Bard—"

"_Do not even speak of it..."_ Sebastian said, pinching the bridge of his nose, as he sighed. Just remembering that fiasco gave him a headache.

"Anyway, we should probably check on Ciel. I hope he didn't scream bloody murder just now because someone's trying to kidnap him _again..._" Chêne said, sighing as she shook her head. She couldn't believe how desensitized she was becoming to situations like this... well it _had _already happened like 10+ times...

=†=†=†=†=

KNOCK. KNOCK.

Sebastian knocked calmly on the door before entering the room.

"Pardon me... Young—" Sebastian said, freezing when he saw what was going on.

"Breakfast will get cold if you do not hurry." Agni told Ciel cheerfully, smiling brightly as he scooped the young earl up as though he were a small (well, smaller) child. "Come let us go now~!" He said, smiling, as though he was blissfully unaware of the fact that Ciel was clearly against the idea of going with him, and was currently fighting and struggling to get away with all of his might.

"_Now just hang on! What the hell!_?" Ciel yelled incredulously, blue with shock, as he struggled to break free. _"Just let me down!"_ He yelled angrily, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"What's wrong, Sebastian? Why did you sto—" Chêne froze when she peeked around Sebastian, and saw Ciel struggling. The two Phantomhive servants stood there, stunned. Just what was Agni trying to do...?

"Oh? Things are already lively at this hour~!" Lau said curiously as he too popped his head into the open doorway to have a look as Ciel continued to kick up a fuss over being held by Agni.

"_Mister Sebastiaaaaaan!_!" The three stooges (aka Finni, Mei-Rin, and Bard) yelled frantically as they dashed towards Chêne and Sebastian at full speed.

"You three, you are in the presence of our guests." Sebastian scolded them, furrowing his brow slightly in disapproval.

"Morniiiing~!" Lau said, smiling, not the least bit bothered by their rambunctiousness. Chêne sweat dropped.

'Yeah, that'll really help back up Sebastian's scolding...' She thought sarcastically, smiling wryly. "Good morning to you too." Chêne replied, smiling politely. The three stooges skidded to a halt and panted as they tried to catch their breath.

"What is it? Has something happened again—" Sebastian started to ask them, only to be cut off.

"_S-Something's wrong! Really, really wrong! Crazy wrong! Wrong, it is! The food, it's—! The Garden it's—! The laundry it's—!"_ All three of them yelled together frantically. They looked like their brains were about to implode from shock.

"Wrong...?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. He had never heard that one from them before... Chêne sweat dropped. So that's what the fuss was all about...

"Don't worry, Sebastian. I know what they're talking about. I'll show you in a minute... but we should probably save Ciel first." She said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and pointed her thumb at Agni and Ciel. They were already halfway down the hall from Ciel's room, and Ciel was still only dressed in his nightshirt.

"_Put meee doooooown!" _Ciel yelled, mortifiedthat he was being treated in such an embarrassing manner, especially in front of the others.

"Come, come~! Let us be off~!" Agni said cheerfully.

"...Perhaps you are right." Sebastian said as they all stared after them.

=†=†=†=†=

{After 'rescuing' Ciel from Agni...}

"This is what all the fuss is about, right?" Chêne asked the three stooges as she showed Sebastian the Laundry, the garden, and that day's breakfast. Mister Tanaka laughed softly and sipped his tea as Chêne showed them around. The laundry was sparkling and clean as it swayed gently in the breeze. A few brightly colored foreign cloths and garments now accompanied the usual British elements of the Laundry basket. The garden was pristine, and not only had all the walkways been shoveled free of snow, but the excess snow had been reshaped into marvelous sculptures of elephants and other exotic creatures, as well as one of the more beautiful Indian goddesses. The breakfast smelled looked and smelled absolutely amazing, and a variety of beautifully arranged exotic dishes covered the entire dining table.

"What in the world...?" Sebastian said, stunned by the brilliance of everything. He glanced at Chêne, wondering if this could possibly be her doing. Chêne shook her head, as if knowing what he was thinking.

"Don't look at me. I only helped a little." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

"Ah! I have taken the liberty of handling the morning chores, with the help of Miss Chêne~!" Agni said cheerfully, raising his hand and smiling brightly at them.

"You should not have! I apologize, Chêne should know better." Sebastian said apologetically as he approached the helpful Indian man. Chêne pouted at that.

"Excuse me?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly.

"You are our guest, so please make yourself at home." Sebastian told Agni politely, ignoring Chêne.

"I could never!" Agni said, holding his hands up. "My prince aside, I... am merely a butler, so... I felt it my duty to help Mister Sebastian." Agni said kindly.

"You weren't there, so you don't know how insistent he was... and you know what they say, 'if you can't beat them, join them'." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she shrugged.

"Mister Agni..." Sebastian said, incredibly moved. The demon butler was so moved by his helpfulness, that he was trembling slightly as he tried to contain his gratitude to the man, and there seemed to be a saintly halo shining around the smiling Indian man. Chêne smiled as she patted him on the back in a 'there, there' manner. She could understand how Sebastian felt. That had been her initial reaction as well. After being the only two 'useful' servants in Ciel's service, they had gotten used to shouldering the burden of the other's mistakes on their own, and having to do everything by themselves. Agni was a saint... in fact, that was Chêne's new nickname for him— Saint Agni. Sebastian quickly recovered himself and glanced back stoically at the other three servants for a moment, before flashing them a radiant, sparkling shit-eating grin.

"Why do you three not kowtow and beg Muster Agni for the dirt under his nails?" Sebastian said as he smiled so brilliantly, that Chêne had to shield her eyes. "Your lives might gain a little value that way." Mei-Rin, Bard, and Finni stared blankly at him for a moment as they processed what he had just said.

"_Gimme the dirt under your nails, dirt!_!" Bard yelled as he and the others suddenly swarmed Agni. Poor Agni turned blue with shock and surprise as he threw his hands up in the air, and tried to back away.

"_Me tooooooo!"_ Finni cried as he tackled him along with Bard.

"Eeh_!_?What is going on_!_?" Poor Agni cried, bewildered. Was this some strange English custom_!_?

"_Me three!"_ Mei-Rin cried as she wormed her way into the dog-pile.

"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Mister Tanaka said as he calmly sipped his tea despite the chaos just behind him.

"Keh!" Sebastian said darkly, clicking his tongue as he turned to walk away, and prepare Ciel for the day. Chêne sweat dropped. What was his problem? She remembered that Sebastian had once mentioned demons being territorial... maybe that was it? But what was he being territorial about...?

"That wasn't very nice of you, Sebastian. Who put a bee in your bonnet?" Chêne asked him, furrowing her brow slightly in disapproval as she walked with him. Sebastian glanced at her for a moment.

"Heh. Wouldn't you like to know." Sebastian said, smirking slightly to himself as he turned away from the petite maid and continued on his way.


	63. That Butler, Foriegn2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Foreign 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_That wasn't very nice of you, Sebastian. Who put a bee in your bonnet?" Chêne asked him, furrowing her brow slightly in disapproval as she walked with him. Sebastian glanced at her for a moment._

"_Heh. Wouldn't you like to know." Sebastian said, smirking slightly to himself as he turned away from the petite maid and continued on his way._

* * *

><p>"... So?" Ciel asked, frowning slightly as he furrowed his brow in irritation. <em>"How long do you intend to stay here?<em>" Ciel demanded sternly as he, Lau, and Soma all sat at the dining table together to eat breakfast. Today's meal was comprised of Agni's Shrimp Curry and the usual Indian side dishes that accompanied it. Chêne had helped by making some French toast with ginger to go with it, since she knew Ciel didn't particularly care for spicy foods. She usually had to tone down the spice when she served him any Creole dishes as well. True to her prediction, Ciel had not touched his serving of curry yet, but if he decided to be adventurous, the ginger she added to the French toast should complement the curry rather nicely.

MUNCH. MUNCH. MUNCH.

"We'll leave when we've finished our errand." Soma said frankly as he munched on a naan, and Agni poured him some Chai tea. His cheeks were puffed out from stuffing the Indian bread in his mouth. It reminded Sebastian of what the 'hamsters,' that had been in the pet shop back in Chêne's world, looked like when they were eating. It had been strangely entertaining seeing a small animal shove so much food into its cheeks, but on a human... well, that was another matter entirely...

"That—" Ciel started to speak as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead, about to give Soma a piece of his mind.

"You mean the person you were looking for before, right?" Lau asked, smiling as he ate the delicious curry, cutting Ciel off before things could take an 'uncivil' turn for the worst.

"And why are you staying over as w—" Ciel asked Lau, chagrined, as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead.

"Yes. I'm in search of a certain woman." Soma said, interrupting Ciel again, as he continued to munch on his breakfast. Chêne sweat dropped. What was this, 'ignore Ciel day'...? Soma suddenly pulled a piece of paper out seemingly nowhere, and held it up.

_BAM!_

The image on the paper made quite an impact... it was the same crude drawing of the 'seal woman' he had shown them before when they had bumped into those thugs.

"This one." Soma said, indicating the... '_woman_' in the picture. They all sweat dropped as they stared at it. Chêne accepted the prince's 'masterpiece' and handed it to Ciel. Agni smiled gratefully at her.

"Her name is Mina... and she was a servant in my palace." Soma explained as Ciel, Sebastian, Chêne, and Lau stared at his artwork. They were speechless.

"This is..." Ciel said, furrowing his brow, as he examined the drawing. He and the others sweat dropped. _So it really was supposed to be a woman..._

"I drew it. You'll know right away when you see her because I drew her so well! Isn't she lovely?" Soma said as he continued eating. This prince could really eat... Although, he had a few crumbs on his face...

'I hope for this Mina's sake, that Soma is either just incredibly untalented, or partially blind...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

"Sebastian, will you be able to seek her out with this...?" Ciel asked dubiously as he glanced at his demon butler. If anyone could find a human being using only _this_, it would be Sebastian. The air was already heavy with a sense of doom, though... Sebastian sweat dropped.

"Even for me, this is a bit, erm... well, I shall try." Sebastian said, resignedly. He might as well give it a shot... but really, who did Ciel think he was, _God_...? Sebastian might be a powerful demon, but even he couldn't perform such a miracle... probably.

"I'll draw a copy of it, and take it with me to show people when I go shopping in a bit..." Chêne said, sweat dropping and blushing slightly, as she imagined the weird looks she would probably get for trying to find someone using such a picture.

"Ooooh... I myself have never encountered a beauty like this, I saaay~! Haha!" Lau said, smiling wryly as he held the picture and took a closer look. Chêne sweat dropped. Even Lau was slightly fazed by it, huh?

"To be expected! She was the most beautiful woman in my palace." Soma said as he clapped his hands together, as though praying. "My thanks for the meal." Soma said, burping. Chêne sweat dropped when she noticed the look on Sebastian's face.

"Mrs. Karishma told me that in some parts of India, burping is considered a way to express gratitude to the chef." Chêne whispered to him. Sebastian raised an eyebrow skeptically at her, but decided to let it go for now.

"... So. Why is that woman in Great Britain?" Ciel asked.

"∆XO◊~ OX∆~∆XO◊~ OX∆~" Agni and Soma chanted as they humbly kneeled before a rather morbid looking statue of a mutli-armed woman standing on top of a man. The had their hands pressed together, so it was obvious that their strange chants were prayers, but to Ciel and company, it sounded like a bunch of gibberish.

"_Listen to me!_!" Ciel yelled angrily, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. _"What are they doing all of a sudden?"_ Ciel asked incredulously, slightly blue with shock.

"And where did they get that statue from...?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. She could've sworn there hadn't been anything like that there a moment ago.

"They seem to be praying, but their object of worship seems quite surreal." Lau commented as he stared at the two Indians and their idol curiously.

"You would call that an object of worship?" Sebastian asked thoughtfully as he held a finger to his chin. "It looks _nothing so much as a statue of a woman dancing in a frenzy on the abdomen of a man whilst carrying severed heads and wearing a necklace of said heads..._ to me..." Sebastian said seriously as he stared at the statue, his brow furrowed slightly in concentration. This female deity's statue (if that's what it was) looked so different from all the Christian renderings of the Virgin Mary and many other female saints, who were all depicted as graceful and lovely martyrs... not raving lunatics.

"Pretty much." Lau agreed, smiling in a rather carefree manner. Ciel sweat dropped.

"That's because... that is _exactly_ what it is... This is the Hindu goddess Kali." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "See how she's sticking her tongue out? I mentioned earlier that the tongue was used as a symbol of a certain Indian deity, didn't I? I was talking about her." She explained.

"Yes, Miss Chêne is correct~! The goddess Kali is a deity of Hinduism, our faith." Agni explained to the others, smiling. He was pleasantly surprised to find that they had managed to meet a 'foreigner' who was so knowledgeable and accepting of the customs of his homeland. Not many Englanders were that accepting of their ways, since their cultures were so different.

"So it is an Indian God." Ciel said.

"Our goddess Kali is the wife of the god Shiva and the goddess of strength. She protects us against misfortunes. There are also other divine favors." Agni explained as Soma continued to pray. Well, he might be bossy and a messy eater, but... at least he was faithful. "In ancient times... a devil dared to challenge the goddess in a battle. Of course, the goddess Kali was victorious. However, she could not stop raging... and continued to destroy and kill. She kept killing and made a necklace of severed heads, drank blood..." Agni said gravely, looking very distressed as he held his left hand over his heart and clenched his bandaged right fist.

"It sounds as if the goddess caused more harm than the devil." Lau said bluntly as he smiled. "Truly amazing."

"Yeah, it reminds me of my mom when she gets mad... Though she's never actually killed anyone, since she said going to jail for it would be too annoying..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. Pomona was_ not_ someone whose wrath you wanted to be on the receiving end of.

"Even the gods could not stop the goddess Kali, and the earth was about to fall to ruin, when... at that very moment—_!_!" Agni said dramatically as he stepped up, passionately sweeping his arms to the side. "_Her husband, the god Shiva, lay down at her feet to protect the land." _Agni proclaimed passionately, panting slightly. His face was flushed slightly from all the yelling he was doing... at least, Chêne hoped that's why he was blushing...

"Aah! That is why she is stepping on him." Sebastian said, hitting his hand against his palm in an 'aha!' motion. "I had assumed they were simply having a lovers' quarrel!" he said, smiling.

"Just what kind of 'lovers' quarrel' involves severed heads and crushing a person's gut under your heel..._!_?" Chêne asked incredulously, flinching and turning blue with shock.

"The husband was very slow to act." Ciel said, sweat dropping, also slightly blue with shock from Agni's story. "Wasn't he too late? In a whole number of ways?"

"When she stepped on her husband with her unclean foot, the goddess Kali returned to her senses and peace returned to the land." Agni said, smiling contentedly as he thought of how peacefully things had been resolved.

Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly as ani image of a chibi version of Kali stepping on a chibi Shiva popped into her head, and Chibi Kali said 'Oh nooo~! Darling, I'm sorry~!' as she playfully bopped herself on the head in a 'silly me' way, and Chibi Shiva carelessly said 'Hahaha~! You tomboy, you~!' Why were such ridiculous images of foreign gods popping into her head...? It was especially weird, since they were acting similar to how her parents did after they had a little spat... only without the whole stepping on each other thing.

"Therefore, the goddess Kali is a supreme deity who engaged in mortal combat to defeat the devil." Agni said, smiling serenely, and bowing respectfully to the statue of Kali. "That is why she holds the severed head of the devil."

"... So that's the story." Ciel said, glancing at Sebastian.

"I was not aware that such a strong goddess existed... I must be careful when I go to India." Sebastian said seriously as he thought over Agni's story. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly at that. She was about to comment on that, but she realized, that with all the supposedly 'mythical creatures' that seemed to be popping out of the woodwork, she couldn't be entirely sure whether Kali really was a just a myth... If devils really existed, wasn't it natural to assume that so did their opposing force?

"?" Agni said, wondering what they all looked so serious for.

"Well, we're done praying..." Soma said as he stood up and brushed his knees off, getting their attention. "... So let's go, Runt~! You'll guide us." Soma declared brightly as he grabbed Ciel.

"_Why me!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously, sweat dropping. "And furthermore, I am not the 'Runt.' I am Ciel..." He shouted angrily as he dug his heels into the floor in attempt to keep the selfish prince from dragging him off to god knows where.

"Then, Ciel! I order you to guide us." Soma said, unfazed, as he continued to drag Ciel off.

"Excuse me, Prince Soma, but as we are currently in England—You do not have the authority to order our young master to do anything he doesn't want to." Chêne pointed out as politely as she could, smiling patiently at the prince. Soma paused to stare at Chêne for a moment.

"You look just like our goddess when you smile like that." Soma said, causing Chêne to flinch in shock. "Right, Agni?"

"Oh, you are right, my Prince! Miss Chêne's kind smiles are just like one would expect to see on the radiant face of the benevolent Durga~!" Agni said, smiling brightly.

"Oh, good... so you were referring to Durga, not Kali, when you said that..." Chêne said as she sighed in relief.

"Durga?" Lau asked curiously.

"Oh, In Hinduism the goddess Durga is the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation, preservation, and destruction of the world. Hindus believe that goddess Durga protects her devotees from the evils of the world and at the same time removes their miseries. Kali is one of her incarnations..." Chêne explained.

"Yes, it is just as Miss Chêne has said." Agni said, nodding in agreement as he smiled. "In Hinduism, Durga, meaning 'the inaccessible' or 'the invincible' or Maa Durga (meaning 'Mother Durga') 'one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress' is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a tiger, carrying weapons and a lotus flower, maintaining a meditative smile, and practicing mudras (symbolic hand gestures). She is an embodiment of creative feminine force. Durga exists in a state of svātantrya (independence from the universe and anything or anybody else, i.e., self-sufficiency) and fierce compassion. Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion." Agni explained.

"I see..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. There certainly were similarities between the two.

"Hahah! I like you, girl! You can guide me as well~!" Soma declared as he grabbed Chêne too.

"Hey, wait a min—!" Chêne said indignantly as she tried to break free of Soma's grip as he continued to march on despite the protests of Chêne and Ciel. Chêne could've easily broken free by flipping Soma, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to possibly cause an international incident over something so silly by injuring one of India's princes. Soma was forced to pause in his march to the door when Sebastian held his arm out, obstructing his path.

"Forgive me, but... the Young Master has a full schedule with his studies and work today, and Chêne has some errands of her own that she must run." Sebastian said, smiling apologetically (?) at Soma.

"As you can see, we are busy. Find your quarry on your own." Ciel said, sighing in relief when he and Chêne were released.

"Tchhh!" Soma said, slicking his tongue in disappointment as he pouted and leaned back against the wall.

"I'll take the drawing with me and ask around while I'm shopping." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. Even if the prince was kind of annoying, she could at least do that much since she was already going out anyway.


	64. That Butler, Foriegn3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Foreign 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_As you can see, we are busy. Find your quarry on your own." Ciel said, sighing in relief when he and Chêne were released._

"_Tchhh!" Soma said, slicking his tongue in disappointment as he pouted and leaned back against the wall._

"_I'll take the drawing with me and ask around while I'm shopping." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. Even if the prince was kind of annoying, she could at least do that much since she was already going out anyway._

* * *

><p>{10:00AM—Violin lesson}<p>

"—Now." Sebastian said once he and Ciel were ready to begin. "While you are in London, I shall tutor you... in place of the lady governesses and Chêne, since she has today off." Sebastian said. He liked to begin by 'looking the part,' so the demon butler was wearing glasses along with his usual butler uniform now that he was in tutor mode, and he was also holding a violin bow for some reason. "First let us practice the 'Partita No. 2' for solo violin."

"Geh!" Ciel said, grimacing as he looked over the music sheet. "Bach's Chaconne... I won't be able to play... such a hard piece—" Ciel was surprised when Sebastian reached out and tilted his chin up using the violin bow he was holding. "!" Ciel said, wondering what Sebastian was doing.

"Fufufu. You will gain confidence if you begin by mastering the difficult pieces first." Sebastian said, chuckling evilly as he smirked at Ciel. Ciel sweat dropped. Why was it that as soon as Chêne was gone, Sebastian seemed to get more evil? "I lay down the rules here. And naturally, I am very strict. Do you have any issues with my teaching method?" Sebastian asked, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"..." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as he grit his teeth. It was obvious that Sebastian didn't care either way what he thought, and if he did object, Sebastian would probably just increase his workload.

"Good." Sebastian said, satisfied that Ciel wasn't going to give him any problems. "Now hold the bow ready." He instructed as Ciel reluctantly placed the bow on the violin's strings. With the key of D Minor, it is important to express solemnity and reverence with your timbre. Just like that." Sebastian said, smiling as Ciel began to play. "Express the timbre with emotion."

_TWANG. TWANG. TWANG._

"Express anger occasionally." Sebastian instructed Ciel.

_THOK! THOK!_

"Yes..." Sebastian said... _wait_— 'twang' and 'thok'...? _"Erm, and what might you be doing?"_ Sebastian inquired of Agni and Soma when he realized they were the cause of the strange noises. He was feeling slightly bewildered by the two foreigners and their behavior. Soma was playing a stringed instrument that looked like a small guitar body that had an extra-long neck attached to it, and Agni was playing on a set of hand drums.

"_Nn?"_ Soma said, furrowing his brow in confusion, wondering what the problem was.

"What a novel instrument~!" Lau complimented as he squatted down next to Agni and examined the trio of drums.

"I thought I'd spend the day with Ciel today." Soma declared cheerfully, encouraged by Lau's compliment. "I'm a dab hand at playing string instruments too." Sebastian sweat dropped. It wasn't quite the same... Ciel shook as he tried to control his temper—and failed_._

"_Get out!"_ Ciel yelled as Agni and Soma were tossed out into the hallway.

{11:00AM—Drawing lesson}

"Now it is time for drawing." Sebastian announced as he gestured to the still life of a bottle of wine and bowl of fruit that he had set up for Ciel to draw.

"I'd rather wait for Chêne to teach me this. She is the one who normally serves as my substitute art teacher when the other one is sick." Ciel said bluntly.

"It would be preferable for Chêne to teach this lesson, since she is an artist herself, however she is not here at the moment, so I shall do my best to instruct you in here place." Sebastian said, giving Ciel a brilliant shit-eating grin that left no room for arguments. "Now, look at how things are balanced and give depth to your drawing." He instructed. Ciel raised his pencil and held it in front of the apple, choosing a main focal point for his drawing, just as Chêne had taught him, and used it as a means of measuring the apple's proportion in a way that would make it easier to draw the apple and the objects around it in the correct perspective and proportions to each other.

"What is this? Drawing a bottle is dull!" Soma said, frowning. Ciel jumped and turned slightly blue with shock as he grimaced and glanced over his shoulder at Soma and Agni. Somehow they had gotten back inside the room again, and Soma was sitting in a chair, imitating Ciel.

"You must draw naked women. Therefore, _woman! Strip!"_ Soma commanded bluntly as he pointed dramatically at poor Mei-Rin, who had just come in to announce something to them.

"Oh, shall I undress her~?" Lau asked, smiling.

"I—!" Mei-Rin yelped nervously as she blushed and immediately crossed her arms protectively over her chest. _"I will undress in front of only one man, I will!"_ She cried, horrified. Ciel was trembling as a vein mark throbbed on his head, and he was about to let Soma have it for interrupting his lesson again when Chêne suddenly burst into the room.

"Well said, Mei-Rin!" Chêne said boldly as she gave Soma and Lau a sharp look. She could tell that Agni hadn't really meant anything by it, since his innocent smile really was 'innocent,' and he wasn't even making a move to force Mei-Rin into actually stripping... unlike a certain someone. "Unless you want to lose that hand, I suggest you back off, Lau." Chêne said in a dangerously calm voice.

"My, Miss Maid is so strict~!" Lau said, sweat dropping, and sighing regretfully as he backed off, holding his hands up as a sign of his surrender.

"Hmph! That's better." Chêne huffed, crossing her arms. "Prince Soma, you can't just force a woman to strip like that! Think of Mei-Rin's feelings!" Chêne scolded him as Mei-Rin hid behind Chêne and clung to her like a scared child, crying about how Chêne was her 'hero' for saving her.

"Why not? It's not like she's going to lose anything. If she won't do it, then why don't you strip for us?" Soma said bluntly, not looking the least bit apologetic. A vein mark throbbed on Chêne's head as she clenched her fist, and a dark aura started radiating from her.

'Uh-oh...' Ciel and Sebastian thought, sweat dropping. Chêne rarely got truly angry with anyone, but when she did, it was rather frightening... and she had a distinct dislike for pervert

"_Get out!" _Chêne yelled angrily as she literally _kicked_ Soma, Agni, and Lau out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind them. She hadn't actually meant to kick Agni, but he had moved in front of Soma to try and shield him, so she ended up getting both of them in one hit. "Hmph! And stay out, you pervs!" Chêne huffed as she clapped her hands together, brushing them off after a job well done.

"Whoa! Now she's Kali!" they heard Soma yell from on the other side of the door.

"Good show." Ciel said, smirking.

"I must congratulate you for showing such marvelous restraint. I was certain you would do much worse." Sebastian said giving her a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to have to clean up the mess it would make if I broke their noses, and they're Ciel's guests, so I can't just maim them, how rude would that be?" Chêne said carelessly.

"Mei-Rin, you were just about to tell us something before that little episode, were you not?" Sebastian asked, getting the redheaded maid's attention.

"O-Oh, yes! I was just coming to let you know that Miss Chêne was back, yes I was!" Mei-Rin said, smiling gratefully at her fellow maid. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Sorry about that, Mei-Rin. I would've been here sooner, but I had to put my shopping bags up first." Chêne apologized.

"N-Not at all! Thank you for saving me, yes! I'll be downstairs if I you need anything else!" Mei-Rin said, saluting them as she exited the room.

"Well, now that I'm here, why don't I take over Ciel's art lesson?" Chêne suggested, smiling.

{1:00PM—Funtom Corp. Business}

"Samples of the Christmas products have arrived from the Yorkshire factory." Sebastian informed Ciel. Chêne had taken the liberty of setting up a Christmas tree, and arranging the products on and around the tree. Chêne had suggested adding Christmas ornaments to their products as a special for the Christmas season, since she thought children would like the idea of being able to hang their favorite Funtom characters on their trees, and the colorful candies would make nice ornaments too. Chêne had designed a special set of twenty-five small chocolates that were wrapped in colorful tinfoil, and each had a different picture of something Christmas themed with a number to count down the twenty-five days of Christmas. This way, the children could eat one sweet a day, and they would know exactly how long until Christmas came, without having to bother their parents every few seconds about it. There were also samples of a few of the stuffed animals made with the bodies and accessories from their new 'Create–A–Critter' line, as well as other miscellaneous toys, like dollhouses, and the like.

"How is it, Ciel? Did they get it right this time?" Chêne asked as she stepped back to let Ciel get a better view.

"Nn. I had them revise this, and it feels good." Ciel said as he hugged a large rabbit plushie and squeezed it. The toy was much fluffier now. "Here, you can keep this one." Ciel told Chêne as he handed it to her_._ "The name for this doll's base is 'Dickens'." Ciel said, smirking. Chêne smiled wryly.

"I thought this little fella looked familiar... So, you really did base him off of my Dickens, then. Thank you, Ciel~! I'll make sure to take good care of him~!" Chêne said, grinning as she snuggled her new fluffy bunny. Ciel felt someone staring at him. It was Sebastian.

"What is it? Do you have something to say?" Ciel asked Sebastian, raising an eyebrow, and smirking at the demon. Ciel had noticed that Sebastian had been becoming a little possessive of Chêne lately, and if it gave him ammunition against the demon, then he welcomed it.

"It is nothing, I was simply recalling how Miss Lacey had commented that Young Master had no originality, since he copied everything from 'pre-existing' ideas." Sebastian said, flashing him a dazzling shit-eating grin. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head. Curses, foiled again! Sebastian was hardly ever fazed by anything, and Ciel wasn't about to admit that he had had the Dickens model made after Chêne's old doll specifically so he could 'casually hand one off to her.' He didn't want Chêne to 'glomp' him. "Also, headquarters has sent over the plans for next year's goods." Sebastian added calmly as he flipped through his clipboard, reading the latest results of their sales and research to Ciel. "The new Christmas crackers are selling well at Harrods."

"Yes, I witnessed that for myself when I passed by." Chêne said, smiling, as she watched Ciel open on of the packages, and pull on the Christmas cracker's cord, popping it. A miniature origami sleigh riding Santa flew out of it, along with a cloud of glitter and streamers. Funtom really did make some interesting products.

"However, children are difficult to please. We must keep providing new novelties." Ciel said.

"_And so, I have invented one such new product just for you!_!" Soma declared dramatically as he suddenly burst out from underneath the pile of toys, and Agni walked up holding a sign that had _proposal_ written on it.

"Oh?" Lau said curiously as he held another version of 'Dickens.'

"_Feast your eyes!_!" Soma proclaimed grandly as Agni held up a drawing (that was obviously Soma's handiwork) of an elephant. "It's a soft toy in the likeness of the Indian god Ganesha... _and_... the trunk..." Agni pulled the first picture away, revealing a second badly drawn elephant that had its trunk raised. Next to it was an arrow labeled 'up'. _"It moves!" _Soma yelled excitedly, grinning at the genius of his idea. Ciel trembled as a vein mark throbbed on his head.

"_GET OUT!_!" Ciel yelled. Multiple vein marks throbbed on his forehead as Soma and Agni were once again tossed out into the hallway.

"Actually..." Chêne said thoughtfully as she picked up the two drawings off of the floor. "I'd like to see that. In pink. It'll be funny that way." Chêne said seriously with a gleam in her eye. Ciel sweat dropped.

'Why would it being pink make it 'funny'...? Was it because 'seeing pink elephants' was a euphemism for being drunk?' Sebastian wondered. Chêne had a rather strange sense of humor sometimes...

"Ah. That's right... I forgot you had weird taste." Ciel said, chagrined. "I am not making that. It's a horrible idea." He said bluntly. Chêne pouted slightly at that.

"But I think Lizzie would like it too, so you can give her one, and make it different from the rest, so that it'll be _special._ She'll be thrilled if you give her something that's been made just for her." Chêne said practically.

"..." Ciel said as he stared at her for a moment, considering it. It was true that he hadn't picked a present out for Lizzie yet... and if he went with this option, then Chêne wouldn't make him go shopping for it himself, since she always insisted that Ciel should buy the presents he gave to close friends and family himself, claiming that even if it turned out that it was something they didn't want, it would 'mean more' since he picked it out himself. This had proven to be especially true when it came to Lizzie. Ciel sighed.

"Fine. You have until dinner to figure out how to make it work. If you can draw up a successful design by then, I'll make it." Ciel conceded, hoping he wouldn't regret this.


	65. That Butler, Foriegn4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Foreign 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_..." Ciel said as he stared at her for a moment, considering it. It was true that he hadn't picked a present out for Lizzie yet... and if he went with this option, then Chêne wouldn't make him go shopping for it himself, since she always insisted that Ciel should buy the presents he gave to close friends and family himself, claiming that even if it turned out that it was something they didn't want, it would 'mean more' since he picked it out himself. This had proven to be especially true when it came to Lizzie. Ciel sighed._

"_Fine. You have until dinner to figure out how to make it work. If you can draw up a successful design by then, I'll make it." Ciel conceded, hoping he wouldn't regret this._

* * *

><p>"Heeeeey. When will you be done?" Soma asked boredly as he laid on his stomach on the floor, his head propped up in his hands. "Heeey! Heeey! What are you doooing? Heeeeey, IIIIIII saiiiid. Heeey!"<p>

"_ARGH! SHUT UP!_!" Ciel roared angrily. _"I can't concentrate!_!" Multiple vein marks throbbed on his head as he exploded in anger and irritation at the spoiled prince. His eye was even twitching a little. Sebastian sweat dropped and sighed. Chêne paused in stitching up the mockup that she was making for her pink elephant, in order to test if her design really worked, before she presented it to Ciel. It was 2:00PM, and Ciel was trying to have his fencing lesson with Sebastian, but Soma's constant whining had made it extremely difficult to concentrate properly for Ciel. Chêne had no problem tuning Soma out, since she was used to Laurie always whining to her like that whenever she wanted to play while Chêne was trying to work on her homework. But when Ciel had finally snapped, it startled Chêne, and she pricked her finger. Chêne sighed.

"I'm going to go get a band-aid..." Chêne said as she sucked on her finger to keep the blood from dripping onto the floor, and left to treat her tiny cut.

"C'mon, you don't have to get so angry. Booooo!" Soma said, pouting like a little kid. Ciel was breathing heavily from all the yelling he had just done. Another vein mark throbbed on his head.

"All right. Enough." Ciel sneered, gritting his teeth in frustration as he snatched Sebastian's foil out of his hand, slightly surprising the demon butler. Sebastian had a feeling he knew where Ciel was going with this, and Chêne would most likely scold the boy once she returned. "I'll take you on if you're so desperate for attention." Ciel said coolly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, as he tossed the light practice sword to Soma.

_WHIZ. _WHAP!

Soma caught the foil in one hand, and began waving it around, testing it. Lau had managed to find another foil, and he was playing around with it while Agni stood and watched nervously, worried for Soma.

"I only know Kalaripayattu and Silambum, but... well, why not." Soma said. He was bored anyway. "So if I win in _this_... you will play with me, right?" Soma asked, grinning confidently.

"_If you can win, that is._ If you lose, behave yourself and stay out of my way!" Ciel said coolly as he assumed the proper stance for beginning a fencing match.

"We will play five rounds of three minutes each. The fencer with the most points wins. All right?" Sebastian asked to make sure everything was clear as he assumed the role of referee. "Now..." Sebastian said, raising his arm. "... Begin!" He said, bringing his arm down to signal the beginning of the match. Soma immediately charged forward, towards Ciel, smirking. Ciel was just standing perfectly still, not even bothering to move out of the way.

"_You are mine!_!" Soma yelled triumphantly as he swung his sword.

KUNIN~

The sword made a strange noise as it bent when it hit Ciel's leg. Ciel didn't even flinch.

"_!_?" Soma gasped, shocked. He furrowed his brow and sweated nervously what had just happened_!_? "The blade bent_!_?" He yelled incredulously. Soma's powerful blow had been about as effective as hitting Ciel with a flyswatter, due to the strange and abnormal flexibility of the blade. Ciel smirked.

"The leg is not a valid target area of the foil." Ciel told him haughtily. He was going to enjoy teaching this spoiled prince a lesson. _"Too bad!_!" Ciel shouted, grinning, as he suddenly thrust his sword at Soma.

"Wah!" Soma cried as he just barely managed to jump out of the way. Ciel immediately made another jab at Soma.

"_You coward!_ I don't know the rules!" Soma yelled incredulously as he just barely managed to dodge again, turning blue with shock. "What is a valid target area_!_?"

"It's a little late to be saying that now, isn't it? You should have taken the time to learn the rules before rushing into danger." Chêne said, sighing as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Oh, my~! How long have you been standing there?" Lau asked her.

"_Long enough_, but don't worry. I won't interfere with the match. These things have a way of taking care of themselves..." Chêne said as she sat back down and continued working on her prototype elephant doll.

"Heh heh! Just as Chêne said, it's your own fault for being ignorant of the rules. A bout is a bout." Ciel said, smirking deviously.

"You fiend! Grrr..." Soma said, sweating nervously as he gripped his sword and grit his teeth in frustration.

"Heh." Sebastian said, smiling wryly, as he held his hand to his chin, amused by Ciel's wickedness, and Soma's distress. He glanced at Chêne. "That was not the reaction I had expected you to have." He told her. Chêne glanced at him.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not really supporting Ciel's bullying—I just happen to already know what the outcome of this little 'match' is going to be." Chêne said meaningfully, giving him a significant look as the young earl and prince continued fighting.

"Oh?" Sebastian said, smirking slightly. It had been a while since Chêne had one of her visions... It made him curious about what was going to happen next.

"_Kuh!"_ Soma grunted as he dodged another attack from Ciel. "Hah!" He yelled as he swung his sword sideways at Ciel's, trying to knock the other boy's sword from his hand.

KUNYA~

The sword bent _again._

"Ugaaah!" Soma yelled in frustration as his sword continued to wobble up and down from the vibrations caused by hitting Ciel's sword the way he had. "_Aww, hell!_ _This sword bends, so it's hard to wield!_!" He shouted angrily, with multiple vein marks throbbing on his forehead.

"Oh dear... Oh no..." Agni said anxiously, worried for his prince.

"My, my..." Lau said. This was turning out to be most amusing.

"In fencing, you thrust forward. If you swing you foil sideways..." Ciel said calmly as Soma yelled and made another wide swing with his sword. "_... Your valid target area is completely vulnerable!_!" Ciel declared as he thrust his sword at Soma's unguarded torso. Soma's eyes widened in shock, and he paled slightly, knowing he wasn't quick enough to counter Ciel's blow—_He was going to lose!_!

"_Prince!_! _Look out!_!" Agni yelled anxiously as he suddenly dashed in front of Soma, shielding him.

_STAB!_

"_!_?" Ciel yelled in pain and surprise when Agni suddenly, reflexively jabbed Ciel in the elbow joint on the arm he was holding his sword in, stopping his attack.

"_!_!" Sebastian said, surprised, as he, Chêne, and Lau watched Ciel drop his sword and fall to his knees, cradling his injured arm. That had been the same strange attack that had made his arm tingle slightly before, and had rendered Chêne's arm immobile for a short while. They all stood in silence for a moment, stunned.

"Ha!" Agni gasped when he realized what he had just done. "_L-Lord Ciel!_! _I am so sorry!"_ Agni said earnestly as he nervously glanced back and forth between Ciel and Ciel's fallen sword, which he had picked up. Poor Agni was blue with shock. "_I could not help it when I thought my prince would lose...!_!" Agni apologized profusely.

"Are you all right?" Sebastian asked Ciel as he knelt down beside him to check on him. He glanced at Chêne, wondering why she had let the match continue when she knew Ciel would get hurt. Ciel was grimacing from the tingling pain. It felt like someone had turned his arm into a pincushion. Ciel wondered how on earth had Chêne been able to stand it...

"Don't worry, there's no permanent harm done." Chêne announced as she too knelt down beside Ciel and examined his arm. Chêne began massaging his arm.

"What are you—!" Ciel said, wincing when she pressed into his tingling arm, but to his surprise, the tingling sensation started to subside, and it didn't hurt as much.

"Relax, my mom taught me how to do therapeutic massages when I was little, and she used to make me 'practice' them on her after a long shift at the hospital... until I got old enough to figure out I was being used." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she smiled wryly. "Thanks to that, I know a little about pressure points, at least..."

"Ahahaha! Agni! You protected your master. I commend you~!" Soma said, laughing cheerfully as he patted Agni on the back. "Agni's my ≤khansama≥. He belongs to me. There fore, I win_!_!"

"_No—!"_ Ciel shouted, moving to stand back up, but Chêne held him back, and shook her head at him.

"You shouldn't use that arm too much Ciel. It's not completely healed yet." Chêne warned him sternly. She was in 'Nurse Chêne' mode, and she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"Noooow~! You must accompany me~!" Soma said gleefully, obviously enjoying his 'victory' over Ciel.

"_Hold it."_ Chêne said bluntly, holding a hand up. "It's true that Ciel getting injured is his own fault, since he should've known better than to bully someone like that..." Ciel flinched in shock. He knew Chêne wouldn't approve, but was she really going to side with that annoying idiot_!_? "... But, while Agni may... 'belong' to you, this match was supposed to be between _you _and Ciel. If you can call in a substitute, then why can't Ciel?" Chêne said, glancing meaningfully at Sebastian.

"Dear, dear." Lau said as he balanced the sword he had been playing around with on his hand. "Now you must avenge your lord..." He said as he tossed the sword to Sebastian.

_WHAP._

Sebastian reached up and easily caught the sword.

"Ciel's khansama. Are you going to fight?" Soma asked excitedly, grinning. He was sure he'd win either way. Sebastian glanced at Chêne, who looked at him expectantly. He raised an eyebrow at her. So, this must be why she didn't stop Ciel... she must have 'seen' this, and known that he would end up fighting Agni...

"Don't worry, I guarantee you won't be bored." Chêne whispered, seeing the look on his face.

"Haah..." Sebastian sighed boredly as he glanced down at Ciel, like he was looking at a cute, but stupid puppy (the kind that just never learns, and continuously makes the same mistake over and over again—like chewing on your slippers, despite being punished when it tried that on the last five pairs). Ciel glanced back at Sebastian, wondering what was with the sudden attitude. "Goodness... all this because you were nasty to a complete amateur who does not know the rules." Sebastian said, sighing in disappointment at Ciel.

"_Wha—!_?" Ciel said incredulously, flinching in shock, as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. Sebastian had acted like he was all for getting a little payback from Soma for all the aggravation he caused them earlier, before Chêne came back. He glanced suspiciously at Chêne. Was there actually something going on between these two...? Whether or not either of them was aware of it... it was almost like Chêne was starting to get Sebastian wrapped around her little finger...

"However... My master has been injured." Sebastian said as he stood and swung the sword to the side in one fluid motion as he gripped it in his left hand. "As butler to the Phantomhive Family, I must do something about it." Sebastian stated coolly. Chêne blushed slightly, feeling a little chagrined. Why did he have to look so dashingly handsome all the freakin' time? _"Moreover, we have fallen ten minutes behind schedule."_ Sebastian mumbled darkly with a serious gleam in his eye.

"_That's your real motive, isn't it."_ Ciel said bluntly as he sweat dropped and a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. _These people..._

"Interesting. Very well." Soma said, grinning confidently. "I approve of the duel!" The two butlers stepped forward, taking their places for the start of the duel as the others moved out of their way, making room for them to fight. Sebastian, like Ciel, took up the traditional stance for beginning a duel in fencing, but Agni was holding himself in a stance that reminded Chêne of a similar stance a swordsman had taken in an old Bruce Lee martial arts film she watched with her dad once. It looked pretty bad ass, but Sebastian's graceful form only served to emphasize the stoic expression on his face. The demon butler was deadly calm, like the silence before a perfect storm.

"You may begin the match on my signal." Chêne said as she stepped forward, deciding to act as their referee. She doubted they would really need one, but whatever.

"Agni! In the name of our goddess Kali, win this match!" Soma ordered confidently, already sure of his victory against Ciel.

"Sebastian. I command you to shut that brat up!" Ciel ordered coldly.

"≤Jo aagyaa.≥" Agni said calmly as he faced Sebastian.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. It looked like he was going to get a little bit of exercise today...

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I've added a link to a diagram of Chêne's pink elephant, and I'm also going to start working on a surprise pic that one of your fellow readers inspired me to do... Fu-fu~! It's really gonna be something~! XD


	66. That Butler, Competitive

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competitive<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Agni! In the name of our goddess Kali, win this match!" Soma ordered confidently, already sure of his victory against Ciel._

"_Sebastian. I command you to shut that brat up!" Ciel ordered coldly._

"≤_Jo aagyaa.≥" Agni said calmly as he faced Sebastian._

"_Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. It looked like he was going to get a little bit of exercise today..._

* * *

><p>Sebastian and Agni stared each other down for a moment, analyzing their opponents. Sebastian really looked like he was taking this seriously. After hearing Chêne say that he 'wouldn't be bored' Sebastian felt that perhaps he shouldn't underestimate the Indian butler. He had been a rather formidable opponent the other day, too.<p>

"Well... pray, do go easy on me." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he raised his hand, and bent his knees ever so slightly, preparing himself to begin their little duel.

"Here I come_!_!" Agni warned as he gripped his sword and charged. "_Hah!" _He yelled as he thrust his sword forward at Sebastian. Sebastian furrowed his brow slightly as he quickly sidestepped Agni's swift attack, and countered with a thrust of his own. Chêne watched, on the edge of her seat, as the two butlers faced each other—the very tip of Sebastian's foil was just a breath away from touching its target. Agni's eyes widened in surprise, but in that split-second, Agni managed to duck. He dropped to the floor, balancing himself with his left hand, as he bent his right knee and kneeled on his left one. Chêne really wished she had some popcorn. This was intense. She watched them, unblinking, knowing that if she did, she would miss their lightning-quick moves. From his position on the floor, Agni thrust his sword forth, but Sebastian gracefully spun around, and Agni's sword passed right over the demon butler's shoulder, just past his chin. If the sword had been real, and sharpened, it would have cut one of Sebastian's bangs when it brushed against it. Agni was indeed a very skilled opponent. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly. The demon butler immediately spun around again, and thrust his sword right at Agni's forehead, almost as if he was targeting the Indian man's bindi.

_CLANG_

Agni's eyes widened slightly in shock, but he quickly recovered, and swung his sword sideways, knocking Sebastian's blow off course. Chêne noticed, that despite his calm demeanor, Sebastian's pupil constricted slightly, making them slitted. Sebastian was finally getting serious. The two butlers eyed their opponent for a brief second, and in that second, it almost felt as though time were standing still. They charged towards each other simultaneously, and thrust their swords forward. Agni and Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and they furrowed their brows slightly in concentration as they both arched their backs, and they followed through with their attacks, extending their arms fully as they tilted their heads back, just barely dodging each other's attacks. Both butlers quickly recovered and instantly attacked again, going in for the kill with two powerful attacks.

_CHK—!_

The two blades met, touching each other, tip to tip. The two butler's furrowed their brows as they continued to push forward, determined not to back down. The others watched in amazement as the two foils began to bend, and both of them bowed in the middle. The two swords combined were starting to form an 'M', but the butlers continued to press on, until—

—_CRRK—_CLANG!

The two blades snapped in half, unable to handle the stress being exerted on them any longer. The top halves of the two blades flew up into the air, spinning from their momentum. Their small audience stood there, stunned by what they had just seen.

_WHAP._

Sebastian reached up and effortlessly caught the airborne half of his now broken blade as Agni's fell to the ground with a clang.

"Oh dear. Sebastian said, smiling wryly, as he sighed. "The blade is broken."

"_!_!" Ciel, Soma, and Lau said, gasping in shock and surprise.

'Thank you, Captain Obvious...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping as she too smiled wryly. That much was something that anyone who had half a brain could tell, just from looking... but then again... Chêne glanced at Ciel and the others. Both Lau and Ciel at least knew how difficult it would be to break such flexible blades, so she could understand their shock.

"Since both of your blades are broken, they can no longer be used to duel." Chêne said, clapping her hands to snap everyone out of their trance.

"We can no longer continue, then. Too bad~!" Lau said, sounding quite disappointed. It had been an interesting and intense battle between the two butlers.

"Right, I declared this match a draw." Chêne said firmly. She was their referee, after all, so it was up to her to declare the outcome of the match. Ciel stood there, wide-eyed with shock as a bead of sweat rolled down his face.

'_A draw!_?' Ciel thought incredulously, stunned. How was that even possible..._!_?

"Hmm! Ciel's khansama fared pretty well!" Soma said, grinning. It looked like he had recovered from his shock of Agni actually being unable to completely crush his opponent for once. "Agni's the best fighter in my palace. You are the first to fight equally against Agni!" Soma praised Sebastian, smiling proudly as he stood beside Agni. Agni was looking a little embarrassed about the praise Soma was giving him by boasting about his skills like that, but he was clearly happy that Soma thought so well of him.

'He was fighting against _Sebastian!_ That man... held his own against a devil!' Ciel thought suspiciously as he stayed back, observing the others as they conversed. He just couldn't believe there was a human that was able to match Sebastian in strength... He watched as Agni smiled modestly, not seeming to be bothered at all by the outcome of the match. If his prince was happy, then so was Agni.

"I like you, Ciel's ≤khansama≥! I shall excuse you today in deference to your skills." Soma said cheerfully.

"I am most honored." Sebastian replied, bowing politely to Soma as thanks for his praise. At least this spoiled prince wasn't a sore loser.

"Mister Sebastian, thank you for being my opponent." Agni said, smiling brightly.

"My pleasure. Mister Agni is a very quick study." Sebastian said, smiling slightly. Chêne was right, he hadn't been bored at all. Agni was indeed a skilled opponent to overcome the challenge of wielding a weapon that was so foreign to him. "I never would have guessed you were but a beginner." He said, smirking slightly.

"Yes, I've only just started practicing fencing myself, but you're already much better than me, despite not having any experience with a foil! I can't even last ten seconds against Sebastian in a duel." Chêne praised him, smiling wryly.

"Oh, no! Please!" Agni said, blushing slightly out of embarrassment. To hear such praise from two such capable people! Agni could tell that Chêne was a fairly capable fighter as well from the way she had moved when they were dealing with those thugs from before.

"..." Ciel said as he stared at Agni, watching him cautiously. He furrowed his brow and frowned slightly. Why were Sebastian and Chêne acting so relaxed around him after such suspicious (?) behavior...? Agni noticed Ciel was being awfully quiet. This concerned him, because children should be more energetic and cheerful, like his prince.

"Lord Ciel. I apologize for my earlier actions." Agni apologized earnestly as he approached Ciel. He was making a 'kicked puppy' face. "Does your arm still hurt?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

"N-No..." Ciel replied awkwardly as he took a step back, maintaining the distance between them. He wasn't sure what to make of this strange and dangerous, but kind man. Was this real, or just an act?

"I am glad!" Agni said happily, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

'_Could he... be...'_ Ciel thought as a possible explanation for Agni's 'inhuman' strength formed in his head.

"Don't worry, Agni. I already mostly took care of it by giving Ciel's arm a massage with my 'magic fingers', but if you're still worried, then maybe you can help me make a special massage oil for him? I've heard from a dear friend of mine, Mrs. Karishma, told me that there are special massage oils used for different parts of the body in Ayurvedic massage. Do you know it?" Chêne asked, smiling brightly.

"Ah! Yes, I do!" Agni said, surprised. "Since you know of this... Do you practice Ayurveda?" Agni asked her curiously.

"Oh, not really. I do a little yoga, but that's it." Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"Really? Haha~! I didn't think an English woman would know of it!" Soma said, amused.

"Like I keep saying—_I'm American."_ Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Yoga?" Lau asked curiously. "What is that?"

"Sebastian." Ciel said, getting his butler's attention. He wanted to have a word with him while the others were busy conversing. "What... is that man?" Ciel asked him quietly. "_Don't tell me he's..._" Ciel said a little nervously, grimacing slightly, as an image of Grell making a rocker sign and saying 'I'm a Grim Reaper for death~!' popped into his head. Just remembering _it_ irritated him. "... Another one of _those_..."

"Heh." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as though amused by Ciel's discomfort. "No, he is human." He assured Ciel. In fact, that's what made Agni all the more interesting, in Sebastian opinion. Humans were normally so pathetically weak...

"I see..." Ciel said, sighing in relief. He looked much more relaxed now.

"Come, Ciel~! Let us have another round~!" Soma said energetically as he threw an arm around Ciel, surprising the younger boy. He had gotten tired of listening to Agni and Chêne explain yoga to Lau, and he wanted to play again now that he was bored.

"Ugh_!_?" Ciel said, turning slightly blue in shock and surprise at Soma's sudden 'sneak attack.'

"I won't lose this time~!" Soma declared confidently.

"So how many times do I have to tell you _I am busy!_?" Ciel asked, chagrined.

"Yes... he is only human... However... he has powers that _we_ can never hold... you see." Sebastian said quietly to himself, smirking slightly. He was brought out of his thoughts when he over heard the tail-end of Chêne's conversation.

"—But even though Yoga is for spiritual meditation in Hinduism and Buddhism, I just use it as a form of light exercise to stay limber." Chêne said, finishing up the explanation that she had been giving Lau on what yoga was, and it's purpose.

"My, it sounds like the Earl and the Prince are up to something interesting again~!" Lau said as he and Agni turned to see what they were up to.

"Limber, you say?" Sebastian whispered seductively in Chêne's ear, leaning close to her, as he smirked slyly.

"_!_?" Chêne said, jumping slightly when the demon butler blew softly into her ear. She slapped a hand over her ear and stared at him incredulously, blushing cherry red. "W-What was that—_!_?" Chêne whisper yelled. Sebastian's teasing had started to escalate again lately, and it was now bordering on sexual harassment! Although... Chêne had to admit that she _might_ not have been so upset about it, if Sebastian wasn't just using her feelings for him to mess with her... especially when they were in a room with other people. She was surprised that he would do something like that with possible witnesses around... Sebastian's only answer to her question was a devilish smirk, and a pat on the head as he passed her to assist Ciel in escaping from Soma's over-enthusiasm.

"Nothing... just a reminder to be careful what you say around other men." Sebastian said cryptically, leaving behind a very confused little Chêne.


	67. That Butler, Competitive2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competitive 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_!_?" _Chêne said, jumping slightly when the demon butler blew softly into her ear. She slapped a hand over her ear and stared at him incredulously, blushing cherry red. "W-What was that—!_?" _Chêne whisper yelled. Sebastian's teasing had started to escalate again lately, and it was now bordering on sexual harassment! Although... Chêne had to admit that she might not have been so upset about it, if Sebastian wasn't just using her feelings for him to mess with her... especially when they were in a room with other people. She was surprised that he would do something like that with possible witnesses around... Sebastian's only answer to her question was a devilish smirk, and a pat on the head as he passed her to assist Ciel in escaping from Soma's over-enthusiasm._

"_Nothing... just a reminder to be careful what you say around other men." Sebastian said cryptically, leaving behind a very confused little Chêne._

* * *

><p>"Aaall right~! I can't let that Indian show me up~!" Bard said energetically as he grabbed a frying pan. Sebastian hadn't shown up at the usual time to start cooking dinner, so it was all up to him! It was finally his chance to show Sebastian up—Chêne at least let him help her prep some of the food, even if she wouldn't let him actually cook the ingredients—but Sebastian didn't even let him in the kitchen at all sometimes, let alone <em>help<em>. "Today, I'll do my best to—"

"No, thank you." Sebastian said bluntly as he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and snatched the frying pan right out of his hand. Bard froze, sweat dropping. "I will cook, so please do not do anything." Sebastian added before Bard could even react properly to the butler's sudden appearance.

"_Hey! C'mon. today, I was gonna cook my special. Hey, you listening!_?" Bard ranted incredulously, shaking his fist.

'We are already half an hour behind schedule...' Sebastian thought gloomily as he remembered how Soma had kept insisting on dueling 'just one more time' over and over again with Ciel, simply because he kept _losing_. Even after being injured, Ciel was still much more skilled in the art of sword fighting than the prince, but Ciel had low stamina, so he was starting to get worn out. Chêne realized Sebastian was getting ready to 'disappear' Soma if it continued much longer, so she volunteered to fight Soma, since she was a beginner like him in, Ciel's place, so he and Sebastian could get back on schedule. Soma had been skeptical about that, and boasted that he could defeat Chêne easily... which naturally pissed her off, so she ended up forcing him into a duel with her, and when he lost _again_, Soma changed targets to Chêne, since he was now more determined to defeat her than Ciel, and that's where they were now, with Lau and Agni watching them while Ciel reviewed his paper work for the company, and Chêne's new toy design. Just thinking back on how annoying the prince had been, was making Sebastian feel slightly nauseous from irritation.

"_Sebastian, ya hear me!_?" Bard yelled angrily, bringing Sebastian back to the real world. There were several vein marks throbbing on Bard's head, not that Sebastian really gave a damn.

"Oh, I say." Sebastian said, sweat dropping, as he grimaced slightly in irritation. He had enough to be irked about without Bard adding to it. "Please do be quiet for a spel—"

"Mister Sebastian. May I come in?" Agni asked politely as he popped up, smiling as he peeked into the Kitchen doorway. "I was wondering if I could help you... Miss Chêne told me that you usually have her help you prepare supper, but today is her day off, and she is already helping a great by playing with my prince, as he does not usually get to play with other children so close to his age..." Sebastian and Bard stared at him for a moment. Just how young did he think Chêne was? Sebastian wondered if he should correct Agni, or let

"Mister Agni. Please just relax." Sebastian said politely. As the butler of the Phantomhive Family, he really could not let a guest continue to trouble themselves like this, even if Agni had been a great help that morning...

"We can get things done faster than the two of us~! I shall do whatever you ask of me." Agni said, smiling brightly. There was practically a halo glowing around his head. Sebastian stared at Agni for a moment, slightly stunned. Chêne had been spot on when she picked Agni's nickname. This man was a saint—Saint Agni! Bard sweat dropped, and furrowed his brow, frowning slightly as he stared at the Indian man with wide eyes, not sure what to think... But there was no way Sebastian was going to...

"Then... May I ask you to prepare the Gooseberry sauce for today's main dish and the cottage pie?" Sebastian asked, looking slightly relieved.

"_Ngah!"_ Bard said, flinching in shock. What the heck_!_?

"Of course!" Agni said brightly, happy to help.

"Here are the recipes." Sebastian said, smiling, as he pulled out a few neat, handwritten recipes that had been paper-clipped together. "They are my own. Let us use minced chicken for the cottage pie. Chêne has already informed me that depending on the region, Indians have rules against consuming beef or pork." Sebastian said as he handed Agni the recipe.

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness." Agni said gratefully. These people were truly kind to have so much consideration and respect for them and their culture.

"Now. Bard, stop being an obstruction and please step aside. _You are in the way._" Sebastian deadpanned as he made a shooing motion with his hand at Bard, and walked right past the 'chef' to exit the main kitchen so he could get to work in his own, private kitchen.

"_Hey!_ Why's he get to work while you're tellin' me I'm in the way_!_?" Bard demanded incredulously as a vein mark throbbed on his head. _He was the chef, dammit!_ Sebastian didn't even want to dignify that question with an answer. "Tch!" Bard said, clicking his tongue in irritation as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead, and he plopped down on top of a wooden barrel that Chêne was using to pickle cucumbers in, sulking.

"So much to do, so much to do." Sebastian mumbled to himself as he calmly left them, and went to work on his part of the meal. Agni glanced at the dejected chef, a little concerned. A little light bulb lit up above Agni's head as he thought of something that might help the situation.

=†=†=†=†=

{A few minutes later..."

"—f... Chef. Mister Chef!" Agni called out to Bard, who had started to nod off after sitting there with nothing to do.

"—Nnhnh?" Bard asked absentmindedly. It took him a few seconds to realize that Agni was addressing _him_. No one ever called him Che—_Wait._.. "Ch—_Chef!_?_ You talking to me!_?" Bard asked excitedly, jumping up in surprise, and pointing at himself.

"Yes~! Chef~_!_!" Agni said cheerfully, glad that the man seemed to have perked up again. Bard stared at Agni like he had just told him he won a million dollars. The title of 'Chef' kept echoing in his head over and over again. Bard was so moved that he was trembling slightly and there were tears in his eyes. The air around him was sparkling form his immense happiness. "I am not accustomed to cooking British food. Will you please help me?" Agni asked politely.

"Y-Yeah_!_! Lemme handle it! 'Cos I'm _The Chef_ after all~!" Bard cheered energetically as he pumped his fist triumphantly in the air. The air around him was sparkling again.

"Splendid_~!_! Then will you chop the onions?" Agni asked, smiling brightly, as he brought over the basket of onions that he had already peeled.

"Piece of cake~! Leave it to me_!_! 'Cos I'm the _Chef!_!" Bard declared, throwing his head back confidently.

"You are most dependable_!_!" Agni said, smiling.

"Whooo—oooah!" Bard said, letting out a war cry as he pulled on his goggles, and went to work on chopping the onions. He was a lean, mean cutting machine!

—_DA, DA, DA, DA, DA! —DA, DA, DA, DA, DA!_

Bard was chopping away furiously, like there was no tomorrow.

"Something smells soooo yummyyyyyy~!" Agni heard someone say excitedly from the doorway. It was Finni. "What's for dinner tonight, Hmmm?" Finni asked dreamily, drooling slightly at the smell of food. He was sooo hungry...

"My boy! You have come at a good time. Will you not help me prepare the meal?" Agni asked Finni, smiling kindly, as he held the large pot they were using to boil the potatoes for the pie in.

"_Eh, me!_?" Finni asked excitedly, eyes sparkling. If he were a puppy, his tail would be wagging. "Uh... but Mister Sebastian's told me not to touch anything in the kitchen 'Cos of my super-strength..." Finni said timidly, suddenly not so sure it was a good idea. Chêne would sometimes let him help her with stuff, but he had to be _very careful_, and he often messed up when someone wasn't there to remind him of that... and Chêne seemed to be a lot stronger lately, so she didn't need his help for these things as often...

"You are strong? Excellent! We must mash these potatoes with a spoon, then puree them... but it requires much effort and strength. May I ask you to do it?" Agni asked, smiling. "There are many potatoes~!"

"Requires a lot of strength?" Finni asked. Chêne had said the same thing before, when she asked him to grind up some dried mustard seeds with a mortar and pestle before, because it was taking her forever... if this was that same, then... "I think I can do that~! I wanna do it~! Please let me help~!" Finni said excitedly, his eyes sparkling with happiness and anticipation.

"We are counting on you~!" Agni told Finni, smiling, as he handed him a bowl of boiled potatoes, and a spoon to mash them with.

"'Kaaay~!" Finni said cheerfully as he set to work on the potatoes. "Yaaay, it's like playing with mud~!" Finni said, smiling brightly, as he mashed the potatoes with ease. It was more fun than work to the super-strong boy.

"O-Oh?" Mei-Rin said when she peeked into the kitchen, surprised to see the other two servants working with their Indian guest, and no Chêne or Sebastian. Agni glanced up from the part of the dish he was working on when he heard her. "Where is Mister Sebastian?" Mei-Rin asked nervously as she stared up at the tall Indian man.

"Mister Sebastian is cooking in the rear kitchen." Agni told her, smiling.

"Th-Then I shall prepare the tableware~!" Mei-Rin said, blushing slightly, as she imagined how pleased Sebastian would be if he came out to find the table already set. Even if she did support Chêne and Sebastian as a couple, it would still be nice to be praised for once by the handsome butler... "Um, the platters, the salad plates, and..." Mei-Rin mumbled to herself, trying to remember everything she would need as she entered the pantry, and stood on a chair to remove the platters from the top shelf. "Unfortunately, the platters were rather heavy, and Mei-Rin started to wobble unsteadily on the chair when she lost her balance after taking to many of them at a time. "Ahwahwah! _Gyaaa!"_ Mei-rin cried in alarm as she fell off the chair, holding all of the platters.

"_Watch out!_!" Agni yelled anxiously as he rushed over and caught the poor maid, who had turned blue with shock, and the platters. "You are unharmed, Miss Maid?" Agni asked Mei-Rin as he set her back down on her feet, sighing in relief that he had gotten there in time.

"Y-Yes, I am." Mei-Rin said nervously, sweat dropping. She hopped Agni wasn't going to yell at her for being clumsy...

"Platters must be heavy for a lady. When you must retrieve them from a high shelf, it is safer if you get them down one at a time. You would not want to drop them and hurt yourself." Agni told her kindly, smiling brightly. He was like a breath of fresh air, compared to how mean Sebastian could be when he was upset... Mei-Rin had remembered Chêne telling her something similar before, but for some reason... it was more appealing to Mei-Rin when this kind and handsome man said it...

"Y... Yes... I understand..." Mei-Rin said, blushing.


	68. That Butler, Competitive3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competitive 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Platters must be heavy for a lady. When you must retrieve them from a high shelf, it is safer if you get them down one at a time. You would not want to drop them and hurt yourself." Agni told her kindly, smiling brightly. He was like a breath of fresh air, compared to how mean Sebastian could be when he was upset... Mei-Rin had remembered Chêne telling her something similar before, but for some reason... it was more appealing to Mei-Rin when this kind and handsome man said it..._

"_Y... Yes... I understand..." Mei-Rin said, blushing._

* * *

><p>Sebastian stood back and smiled, satisfied with his handiwork. He had managed to complete the main dish for tonight's dinner, now he just needed the sauce... It was time to check on Agni's progress. He picked up a towel and began wiping his gloved hands off.<p>

"How are things going, Mister Agni? Coming along well?" Sebastian asked as he peeked into the other kitchen.

"Yes~! We are doing fine~!" Agni said, smiling happily as he paused in using the rolling pin to flatten the piecrust dough. Bard was busy peeling a very fat carrot, and Finni was calmly mashing potatoes, while Mister Tanaka, who was dressed as a chef, was laughing as he juggled a tomato, onion, and bell pepper. The atmosphere in the kitchen was light and merry, rather like it usually was whenever Chêne cooked. There didn't seem to be any sign of destruction either... Sebastian stood there, frozen in place, not sure whether he was dreaming or not...

"Mmm... Something smells delicious~! Like cottage pie, but with chicken~!" Chêne said dreamily as she entered the kitchen, lured in by the yummy aroma that was wafting out through the open doorway. She paused, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when she saw everyone working peacefully in the kitchen, and judging by the look on Sebastian's face, it wasn't his doing... that left the only other 'responsible adult' in the room. She smiled. 'Saint Agni strikes again...' She thought, amused. "Oh, I see everyone is helping out tonight." Chêne said, smiling brightly at them. They seemed to be having fun. "Are you okay...?" she whispered to Sebastian when she walked over to him. Sebastian glanced at her, and realized that he was not dreaming... The three stooges really were being... _productive_ for once.

"Mister Sebastiaaaan~_!_! Miss Chênnnne~_!_!" Finni said excitedly as he held up his bowl to show them his perfectly mashed potatoes. "Look, I mashed the potatoes for the pie_!_!" Finni said excitedly, smiling proudly. He had managed to do something right, without breaking anything, all by himself!

"That's great, Finni! These look perfect!" Chêne praised him, smiling, as she ruffled his hair affectionately. Finni was like a cute little puppy that had just learned a new trick. She knew how difficult it was for him to control his strength, too. "Maybe I should get you to help me next time?" She said, laughing.

"Okaay~!" Finni said excitedly, beaming with delight at his success.

"I chopped up the onions, and now I'm doin' the garnish! _Eh-hen!_ 'Cos I'm the Chef!" Bard boasted proudly as he pulled his goggles up. The garnish was just boiled vegetables, and Agni had already cooked them, but being able to do some of the prep work, on top of being called 'Chef' had obviously made Bard extremely pleased. Chêne smiled wryly. She knew Bard was fairly good at chopping vegetables, since she sometimes had him help her with that when she was running short on time, but she never realized how badly he wanted to be addressed as 'Chef' until now... but he was acting kind of like his ego might have been a little over inflated, so she didn't think she'd be changing how she addressed him anytime soon... just 'Bard' was fine for now.

"The table has already been set too, it has! I polished the silver." Mei-Rin said, blushing. Chêne walked over and inspected one of the silver plates. Mei-Rin had used the _right_ polish this time, and it was spotless.

"Good job, Mei-Rin~! It's super shiny, like a mirror!" Chêne praised her fellow maid. Mei-Rin smiled and blushed at the praise.

"Thanks to everyone, the food should turn out to be delicious~!" Agni said, smiling brightly, as the other servants smiled happily after being able to help, and hearing Chêne's praise. Sebastian just stood there, honestly shocked that this was really happening... He never would have thought anyone other than Chêne would be able to have the patience to deal with these three harbingers of disaster, and keep them from running amok...

"?" Agni said, slightly puzzled by Sebastian's reaction. "Mister Sebastian?" Agni asked, wondering if something was wrong.

"No... I am just amaze that you were able to get them _to help you._" Sebastian said, watching the other servants in disbelief as they talked with Chêne, and continued to work. They were all helping to put the pies together on their plates.

"They work hard. They are good people!" Agni said, smiling brightly.

"Well, they are not evil per se..." Sebastian said, sweat dropping... but they were still as irritating and disastrous as the seven plagues of Egypt sometimes...

"Everyone is born with a gift. Each of us has a path and god-given duty." Agni said, smiling serenely, as he held his hands together, as though praying. "We children of god must simply follow the path we are set upon... and do what we have been sent here to do without haste."

"..." Sebastian said as he stared at Agni, amazed. This man was too good to be true...

"Well, said, Mister Agni!" Chêne said, smiling, and clapping him on the back as she popped up beside them. The others were doing just fine on their own now, so she decided to hang with the two butlers for a bit.

"How do I put this... Mister Agni is truly a man of _fine_ character. I cannot believe a human being like you actually exists." Sebastian said, sweat dropping.

"Hey! What about me? Aren't I a decent person_!_?" Chêne asked, flinching in shock. Was she turning evil without realizing it..._!_?

"Chêne is 'Chêne.' You do not count." Sebastian said, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne furrowed her brow slightly, not quite sure what to make of that...

"well, in any case, you're right... Mister Agni is practically a living saint." Chêne said, smiling wryly at the Indian man.

"Oh no, not at all!" Agni protested nervously. "I was a hopeless ≤paagal≥ until I met my prince." Agni said self-depreciatingly. "The debt I owe him is one I will never, ever be able to repay... My clan was Brahmin, of the highest caste, members of which were allowed to serve god. However... my father was a Brahmin only in name. And I, who ha grown up watching him enveloped in lust and greed, lost my faith in god." Agni said, remembering how he had watched from a distance as his father ignored him, and surrounded himself with beautiful women, and other worldly luxuries instead of properly worshiping their god and behaving as was fit for a holy man.

"..." Sebastian and Chêne said as they listened. As a demon, Sebastian knew all too well how easily humans fell into sin when lured by the proper vices, and Chêne knew what it felt like to have your religion shoved down your throat by self-righteous adults who didn't practice what they preached. When her family evacuated for Katrina, they had to stay with her cousins that live in Alabama for a while, and the catholic school she had gone to while they were stuck there (at least until their home was fixed and her school re-opened), was full of bullies and hypocritical teachers who turned a blind eye to the popular kids' bullying, and only cared about 'appearances.' Chêne had convinced her parents to let her go back home to New Orleans as soon as her school re-opened, so she could get away from that horrible school and be back with her real friends, like Lacey. So, Chêne stayed with her father in a Holiday Inn while he supervised the contractors working on their house... but after going to Cabrini High School, her mother's alma mater, an all-girls catholic highschool... Chêne, (though she had never really lost her faith) realized that just because the people preaching a religion were corrupt, didn't mean that the religion itself was bad... Priests, nuns, religion teachers, and the lay people of the Church were all human, and therefore, everyone was flawed. But God was different. No matter what humans did while using his name as an excuse, God was God, and nothing would change that. God would deal with judging and punishing all the sinners, so she would just live her life the way she wanted, and do what she thought was right. Chêne decided to let God handle the hurtful people, instead of holding onto grudges, and letting them drag her down with them. If they deserved to be punished, they would be. Death is a debt all men have to pay.

"... Taking advantage of my social status, I sinned day in and day out." Agni said solemnly as he continued his story. "I hurt people. I sinned against god. I kept sinning, and... The day finally arrived upon which my sins were to be judged—" Agni said as he remembered that fateful day...

_=Flashback=_

"_We will now execute the Brahmin's son, Arshad." One of the officials presiding over his execution announced as Agni, known as Arshad back then, stood on the hanging platform next to his noose, guarded by another official, in case he decided to run._

_[Then, before me, the godless sinner... the fool with no lingering attachment to this world...]_

_Arshad's guard put the noose around his neck, and the crowd began to murmur... but it wasn't about him. Something else ha caught their attention, but Asrhad didn't even bother looking to see what it was. He would be dead soon, after all..._

_[...The man who had thrown everything away—]_

"_Hey, you there." Arshad heard someone call out boldly to him. Arshad slowly turned his head to see who would want to speak a sinner like him. He watched despondently as the crowd parted to allow a young teenage boy to pass through. He was obviously a member of the highest caste and very wealthy, judging by his clothes._

"_I've heard you're a ferocious man with the strength of an untamed beast!" The boy said as he leapt up onto the hanging platform._

"_My Prince! What are you doing!_?_" The official on the ground shouted, turning slightly blue with shock._

"_How amusing." The boy said as he landed on the platform with Arshad. "As of today, you'll be my new sparring partner!"_

"_No, my Prince. He is for the hangman's noose—!" The official yelled, alarmed._

"_Ahhhh, shut up, would you!_?_" The boy yelled back, clearly annoyed by the outside interference. "Then how about we do this?" The boy said as she suddenly drew his dagger from its sheath, and grabbed the ends of Arshad's long, white hair. The boy raised the dagger swung it at Arshad without hesitation. Arshad flinched in surprise and squeezed his eyes shut. He had thought he would die by the noose, not having his throat slit...!_

_SHK!_

_Arshad was surprised when he realized that instead of killing him, the boy had used his dagger to cut his hair, an had also simultaneously slashed the rope of his noose, freeing him._

"_The person you were has now died." The boy said as he threw away the long, white hair he had just cut from Arshad's head, and it scattered in the wind, disappearing. "You shall be reincarnated with a new name an a new life." The boy declared as Arshad raised his head to look the boy in his face, and really looked at him for the first time. "I am Soma Asman, Kadar, the twenty-sixth child of the Raja. And I shall be your master from this day forth." The boy said boldly, grinning confidently at him as the Indian sun shown down upon the young prince, illuminating him with a warm and heavenly light that seemed almost as if there were a halo over his dark, violet hair and made his eyes glisten like gold in the sun._

_[... God appeared.]_

"_All right, Agni!_?" _Soma said, addressing him by his new name. Agni stared at the boy in awe, and fell to his knees before his savior, holding his hands together, as if to pray. Tears slowly began to fall from Agni's eyes._

_[And he made me realize that the divine resided inside of this man—]_

_=End Flashback=_

"_That day, I saw the face of god radiating holy light from within my prince!_! As though he were Ramakrishna himself_!_! Hauaaah~!" Agni declared dramatically, trembling slightly, feeling incredibly moved, as he remembered that fateful day.

"How nice, good for you!" Chêne said, smiling wryly. She was a little concerned about how over-excited Agni was getting, but she had to admit, she like Soma a little more now, after hearing how he had saved Agni. Prince or not, Soma probably could've gotten into a lot of trouble for interfering like that...

"Mister Agni, the pot is boiling over." Sebastian deadpanned as he pulled on some oven mitts and removed the pot from the stove before the sauce was ruined. The other servants, who hadn't been paying attention at all, were still working on the pies.

"That's too much!" Bard said.

"Let's put a flag on top~!" Finni suggested. Chêne had bought some cute little paper flags on toothpicks when she went out earlier, since she thought they were cute and funny.

"Good idea~!" Mei-Rin said. They sometimes put little flags like that on children's meals in family restaurants. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly at her fellow servants, wondering what Ciel's reaction to that would be... She had originally bought those flags for them though, so she was glad they like them.

"Ah, forgive me." Agni apologized nervously, hoping that he hadn't accidentally let the sauce get overcooked. "I have been in my prince's service ever since. He is both my Raja an my God."

"God, you say..." Sebastian said as he set the pot down on the kitchen counter, beside the stove, after Chêne placed an iron griddle on it to keep the pot's hot bottom from possibly damaging the counter. The two of them exchanged a quick glance, but said nothing, not wanting to offend Agni.

"Thus, even if I must risk my life to do so, I want to protect my prince, who gave me this new life, and... insofar as I am able, try to grant all of his wishes." Agni said humbly, smiling a little shyly. Chêne smiled warmly at the Indian man.

"I see... I think I can understand that feeling..." Chêne said, smiling softly as she thought of Ciel and Sebastian. She didn't _worship_ either of them, but she loved Ciel like a bratty, but cute younger brother, and Sebastian... well, he seemed to be an expert at pushing her buttons and pissing her off lately, but... she did love him, _unfortunately for her_, since he was a sadistic demon... But she would do anything to protect to people she cared about, and to help them be happy. "But please remember this, Mister Agni. It's an important lesson I learned the hard way... If you want the people you cherish to be happy, then you must cherish yourself, as well." Chêne said seriously. "As much as we want to protect them, even to the point of sacrificing ourselves, or dirtying our hands for their sakes... that will not make them happy, seeing us hurt like that. By doing such things, it is possible to instead become the very person who is causing them pain. I have learned that it is best to protect them by 'fighting to live' for my loved ones, rather than 'fighting to the death.'" Agni stared at Chêne for a moment, as though in awe.

"You truly are like the goddess Durga, Miss Chêne... to have so much wisdom at such a young age..." Agni said, smiling. Chêne tilted her head slightly in confusion. There was something... strange about Agni's smile...almost as though... he was trying to forget something painful.

"Well, a lot of actual gods are good–for–nothings." Sebastian mumbled darkly as he thought about some of the idiotic 'divine beings' that he had encountered in the past. Chêne sweat dropped. She could only imagine what Sebastian must have gone through...

"Eh? Did you say something?" Agni asked Sebastian innocently. He didn't have slightly super-human hearing, like Chêne did now, so he hadn't heard anything other than some very faint mumbling.

"No, No, Nothing." Sebastian said casually as he stirred the sauce. There were some things that were better left unsaid...


	69. That Butler, Competitive4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competitive 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Well, a lot of actual gods are good–for–nothings." Sebastian mumbled darkly as he thought about some of the idiotic 'divine beings' that he had encountered in the past. Chêne sweat dropped. She could only imagine what Sebastian must have gone through..._

"_Eh? Did you say something?" Agni asked Sebastian innocently. He didn't have slightly super-human hearing, like Chêne did now, so he hadn't heard anything other than some very faint mumbling._

"_No, no, nothing." Sebastian said casually as he stirred the sauce. There were some things that were better left unsaid..._

* * *

><p>{Later that evening, in the Dinning Room...}<p>

Ciel, Lau, and Soma were all seated at the dining table, and were enjoying their supper of mackerel with gooseberry sauce and chicken cottage pie. There was also rice, soup, and some flatbread to accompany it. Well, not everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves...

"—And so? Who is this woman you are looking for?" Ciel asked as he placed his elbow on the table, and leaned his head in his hand. 'Why is there a flag on this pie...?' Ciel wondered, sweat dropping.

"She has waited on me since I was born. She's like my nanny. We've been together ever since I can remember." Soma explained as he chomped on his cottage pie, using his hands to eat instead of the European silverware. "Father has no interest in me... and Mother is so desperate for his attention, she has no time for me." Soma said. Agni bowed his head slightly out of sadness for his prince. "I was always alone in the palace..." Soma said solemnly as he remembered feeling so alone in that large palace, despite the many people that lived and worked in it. "But Mina was always by my side. She was cheerful, beautiful, and taught me many things, just as an older sister might." Soma said, brightening up again as he thought of his beloved nanny. Sebastian noticed that although Ciel seemed to be gazing at Soma emotionlessly as he listened, the young earls eyes flickered briefly in Chêne's direction for a second when he heard Soma's description of his relationship with Mina, and it was no wonder why. From the sound of things, Mina had been Soma's 'Chêne.' "I was never lonely if Mina was with me. I loved Mina, and Mina loved me." Soma's smile darkened slightly, as he clenched his fists. "But... he... _a British noble came... and took Mina away to Great Britain!"_ Soma yelled furiously as he slammed his fist angrily against the table.

"What do you mean?" Lau asked.

"Queen Victoria, Empress of India, recognizes the domestic administrative rights of Bengal, but... In truth, the political advisor sent from Great Britain controls most of the politics." Soma said as he picked his fork up an twirled it between his fingers. "So the reality is we're not much different from a colony. An three months ago, _he_ came as a guest of that political advisor!" Soma said, stabbing his mackerel with the fork. "_That fellow_ set his eyes on Mina at my palace... _and took Mina away to Great Britain by force... while I was out inspecting the town!_!" Soma yelled, frustrated that Mina had been stolen from him. If only he hadn't left that day!

"So you came to Great Britain to retrieve your woman." Ciel stated calmly as Sebastian poured him more tea.

"Yes! I'll get her back, and we'll all go home together." Soma said firmly as he ate the piece of fish he had stabbed with his fork.

"Still, you are going a bit overboard just for one servant girl—" Ciel said, sighing.

_WHAM!_

"_There is no such thing as 'overboard' in this case!_!_ The palace without Mina is an empty box!_!" Soma shouted, outraged by Ciel's cold indifference, as he slammed his hands down on the table, and shot out of his chair, rushing towards Ciel. "_Can you understand the despair I felt when I was forcibly separated from Mina!_?" Soma yelled as he grabbed the young earl roughly by shoulders.

"Hey, wait a—!" Chêne said, about to intervene, when Sebastian placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. Chêne glanced at him, wondering why he had stopped her. She understood why Soma was upset, but he shouldn't have grabbed Ciel so violently...

"_Can you understand just how sad I—!"_ Soma yelled at Ciel again, but the young earl cut him off.

"_Can't say I do." _Ciel said coldly.

"_...!"_ Soma said nervously, staring down at Ciel. He was shocked at how... frightening the younger boy suddenly seemed to be... He hadn't raised his voice, but there was something about the harsh look in his eyes that chilled Soma to the bone.

"The despair caused by such a trivial occurrence _doesn't amount to much._ I don't understand it, nor do I want to." Ciel said harshly as he glared icily at Soma, his pupils almost seemed slitted, like a cold cobra snake that was paralyzing its weak prey with eerily hypnotic eyes. "There are things that cannot be recovered, no matter how much one may struggle. There is also despair from which one cannot escape. You might not quite be able to grasp that, though." Ciel said as he yanked himself free from Soma's grip, and started to walk away, heading for the dinning room doors. Soma clenched his fists as he watched Ciel. He could somewhat understand what Ciel had said, but...

"But... but still, I... don't want... to be alone in that palace anymore..." Soma said sadly. Ciel paused briefly, before opening the dinning room door, and slamming it shut behind him. Sebastian stood there in the silent dining room, staring at the doors... Their young master hated being lied to, but it appears he could still be quite the little liar himself...

=†=†=†=†=

"..." Ciel said as he stood alone in the empty hallway. 'There are things that cannot be recovered, no matter how much one may struggle—' Ciel thought, as an image of his lost loved ones—his parents, Madam Red, and... even his old dog appeared in his mind. Ciel clenched his fist in frustration.

=†=†=†=†=

"... You know..." Chêne said, getting everyone's attention. "What our young master said just now wasn't wrong, but... that being said, we won't know what's recoverable and what's been lost forever, unless we try, right? There are some things that can be recovered, rebuilt, and re-forged over and over again, as many times as we need to, until we finally get it right—Some bonds cannot be broken or cut, by even the sharpest blade in the world." Chêne said smiling a strong but gentle smile as she left the room to follow after Ciel. Sebastian smirked. It appeared Chêne was not convinced by his little act either, if she was leaving their guests to follow after him. He would have his own talk with the boy later...

=†=†=†=†=

"Ciel." Chêne called out to the young earl when she caught up to him in the hallway. "Some things can be recovered... Some people _do_ come back." Chêne said, causing Ciel to pause, and glance back at her. "_I'm_ here, aren't I." Chêne said, smiling warmly at him. Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "It was a close call, but I'm still here, and I have no intention of leaving. Thanks to Sebastian, I'm indestructible now, so you're stuck with me forever, kiddo~!" Chêne said, grinning impishly as she hugged Ciel and ruffled his hair.

"W-Wha—_!_?" Ciel sputtered indignantly, blushing, as Chêne treated him like the kid he was... the way his mother use to... "What are you saying_!_? You can still die, you know!" He said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I know..." Chêne said solemnly. Ciel stopped struggling to escape from her hug when he heard how serious she had gotten all of a sudden. "I'm sorry I was so selfish, Ciel... I didn't mean to scare you..." Chêne said, smiling apologetically at him. Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise again. It never ceased to amaze him how perceptive Chêne could be... She always seemed to see right through him. "... But don't worry. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. I don't want to put you through that again, so I'm going to protect _both_ of us—you and myself, so that we can have lots more fun times together, okay. _I promise_." Chêne said, smiling at him.

"You' better not break that promise." Ciel said seriously, biting his lip nervously.

"Of course not! I don't make promises I can't keep, remember?" Chêne said, smiling as she slung an arm around his neck playfully.

"Yes... however, you seem incapable of remembering that I don't do hugs..." Ciel muttered, chagrined. Chêne grinned impishly at him and laughed brightly as they walked along the dim corridor together. Ciel smiled wryly, sweat dropping. He supposed he could let it slide... but only just for this moment...

=†=†=†=†=

{Ciel's bedroom}

"Heh." Sebastian said, smirking, as he helped Ciel get dressed for bed. Ciel was wearing pajama pants to be this time, since he didn't want to be in just a nightshirt if Agni tried to wake him up and carry him like that again the next morning...

"What are you smirking about?" Ciel demanded, scowling at the demon butler.

"Nothing of consequence, I was merely thinking about how ironic it is that you insist on having Chêne and I tell you no lies, when you yourself are quite the liar." Sebastian said, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"!" Ciel said. He glared sharply at Sebastian. "I—"

"Do not try to deny it." Sebastian said, cutting him off. "Before, in regards to Soma's feelings towards that woman, he said 'Mina was always by my side. She was cheerful, beautiful, and taught me many things, just as an older sister might. I was never lonely if Mina was with me.'" Sebastian said, smirking as he repeated Soma's words. You understand _perfectly_, do you not? His relationship with that woman parallels your own with Chêne. 'Chêne was always by my side. She was cheerful, beautiful, and taught me many things, just as an older sister might. I was never lonely if Chêne was with me'... Those are your true feelings, correct. Otherwise, you would not have been so desperate to make a deal with me to save her life without first hearing the price." Ciel narrowed his eyes and glared at Sebastian. He didn't appreciate the way Sebastian was looking down on him like this. "So what?" Ciel said haughtily, throwing his head back defiantly. He decided he wasn't going to let Sebastian tease him about this anymore. He was the master, and Sebastian was his _butler_. Sebastian was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Ciel to actually admit it... the boy had always tried to hide his attachment to Chêne before out of embarrassment.

"You admit to it, then? ... You care for Chêne?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at him... for some reason, hearing Ciel admit to having... 'feelings' for Chêne was slightly unsettling to him... Ciel smirked when he saw a flicker of emotion flash through Sebastian's crimson eyes.

"What is the matter, Sebastian—feeling jealous? Are you afraid I will take Chêne from you?" Ciel asked, smirking evilly. Of course, he only cared for Chêne as one might for a strange... _really_ strange, older sister, but he couldn't resist possibly getting a little revenge on Sebastian for earlier...

"Jealous...?" Sebastian said, blinking in surprise, as he stared at Ciel, confused. "Whatever for?" He asked bluntly. Ciel nearly face-faulted.

"Don't play dumb! You care for Chêne, do you not?" Ciel said incredulously, sweat dropping. "You are always teasing her, but at the same time, you can be nicer to her and more protective of her than you are of anyone else."

"Oh, so that is what you meant..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. "I have told both you and Chêne countless times that demons such as I do not have 'feelings' the way humans do." Sebastian finished buttoning Ciel's shirt, rendering the boy fully dressed for the evening. "However... I do admit that I seem to be developing a certain type of, dare I say... 'affection' for Chêne?" The demon butler said thoughtfully, surprising Ciel a little. So he really _did_ have feelings for her then...!

"What kind of 'affection'?" Ciel prodded.

"Lately, I cannot help but feel that Chêne has become very lovely, and adorable, so I cannot help but tease her... to me she is a precious existence... _Like a pet cat._" Sebastian said bluntly, smiling a blindingly bright shit-eating grin. This time, Ciel actually _did_ face fault.

CHK.

"... Um... Are you all right, Ciel?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion when she opened the door to see Ciel lying on the floor, and Sebastian grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I am fine. _You_, on the other hand, are going to need a miracle..." Ciel mumbled, chagrined. Chêne tilted her head slightly, frowning a little in confusion.

"Okaaay... I'm not sure what you mean by that, but I have a feeling I'm better off not knowing..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "Anyway, I know it's close to bedtime, and you're probably tired from dueling Soma so many times earlier, but I have a new deck of cards here, and I was hoping you'd help me break them in... _by playing with Soma_." Chêne said, smiling brightly at Ciel as she tossed the pack of cards to him. The box bounced off of the young earl's head as he stared blankly at her.

"And why the bloody hell should I do _that?"_ Ciel demanded, crossing his arms. "Go play with him yourself!"

"But I'm not the one who's feeling slightly guilty for being harsh and venting my own frustrations out on him, am I?" Chêne said, placing her hands on her hips, and raising an eyebrow at Ciel.

"..." Ciel said, avoiding her gaze. "You are not going to leave me alone until I apologize, are you...?"

"Nope~!" Chêne said, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin. "I'm not saying you have to actually tell him 'I'm sorry' since you weren't actually wrong... but you should at least make nice with him. You'll sleep easier once you do, too." Ciel sighed and grabbed the pack of cards as he stood up.

"Fine, but I am blaming you if this doesn't work." Ciel huffed as he marched out of his room to find Soma. Chêne giggled.

"He's so cute when he acts stubborn like that, even though we all know he probably would've done something like that on his own, anyway..." Chêne said, smiling fondly as she too exited the room.

"Yes... _adorable..._" Sebastian said, smirking slyly, as he watched Chêne skip out of Ciel's room, before following after her. "Chêne, do not forget that you are supposed to help me tonight with the preparations for tomorrow." He warned her.

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel eventually found Soma lounging in a chair, listening to the crackling fire that Chêne had lit in the fireplace for him, as the prince stared out the window into the dark and cold English winter night.

TMP.

Soma glanced at the table in front of his chair when he heard something land lightly on it. Someone had tossed a pack of English playing cards onto it. It was Ciel.

"You wouldn't know the rules of chess, but you should know how to play Old Maid, right?" Ciel said nonchalantly as he sat down in the chair opposite to Soma's.

"Eh..." Soma said. He had thought Ciel was angry with him...

"I'm done for the day... I'll play with you until bedtime." Ciel said as he removed the deck of cards from its pack and began to shuffle them.

"Ciel..." Soma said, touched.

"I'm not doing this for you. It's only because I've nothing better to do at the moment, that's all." Ciel said calmly, playing it cool. Soma watched Ciel shuffle the cards for a moment. Well, in that case...

"_Ah. Sorry, but I have plans for the evening. I'm busy, unlike you!" _Soma said flatly, holding up a hand to stop Ciel. Ciel froze, stunned, as an idiot hair stuck out on the young earl's head. _He what...?_ "Agni, we're leaving!" Soma announced as he stood up from hi chair abruptly, and Agni suddenly zoomed into the room, holding Soma's cloak.

"Yes, Sir!" Agni said seriously as he helped his prince prepare for their departure to search for the missing Mina.

"..." Ciel said, still frozen in place, holding the cards mid-shuffle.

"You've got to go to bed early, or else you'll never grow any taller, little runt Ciel~! Ha! Ha! Ha! Seee yaaa_!_!" Soma said, laughing as he waved goodbye to Ciel over his shoulder as he and Agni departed.

"..." Ciel said as he watched them leave.

"Ah." Lau said as he poked his head into the room right after Agni and Soma left. "Here you are, Earl~! Say—Nn?" The Chinese man said curiously, halting in asking his question when he noticed that there was a dark and dangerous aura radiating from the young earl. Something interesting must have happened...

"_Hnh?"_ Ciel asked dangerously as he furrowed his brow and glared darkly at Lau, crushing one of the cards he was holding in his hand. Multiple vein marks were throbbing on the outraged earl's forehead. _How dare that bratty prince—!_

"Ohhh~? Whatever is the matter, my lord~?" Lau asked curiously, tiptoeing closer to Ciel. "Feeling a bit blue, are we, hmmm?"

"_Shut up! Don't follow me!_!" Ciel shouted angrily, vein mark throbbing on his forehead as he stomped off.

So much for Chêne's_ 'brilliant' plan..._

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Since I know a few of you are looking forward to the circus arc, I went ahead and posted a link to a picture of the costume Chene will be wearing for it, since I got inspired to draw it all of a sudden~! ^_^_  
><em>


	70. That Butler, Shadowing

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Shadowing<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Ohhh~? Whatever is the matter, my lord~?" Lau asked curiously, tiptoeing closer to Ciel. "Feeling a bit blue, are we, hmmm?"_

"_Shut up! Don't follow me!_!_" Ciel shouted angrily, vein mark throbbing on his forehead as he stomped off. _

_So much for Chêne's 'brilliant' plan..._

* * *

><p>"Soma and Agni stayed out so late last night... They must be looking really hard for Mina." Chêne said, sighing sympathetically, as she thought of how worried they must be for their missing friend, and she arranged everything they would need for Ciel's morning tea on the serving cart. Sebastian was currently ironing the newspaper, a little trick that helped not only make the paper nice and crisp, but it kept the ink from rubbing off on Ciel's hands, and getting smudged all over the place. She noticed that something seemed to have caught his attention. "What is it?" Chêne asked curiously as she walked over to his side.<p>

"I think our guests were definitely out looking for something..." Sebastian said as he held up the newspaper for her to see.

"_!"_ Chêne said, gasping in surprise. She sighed. "Trouble sure does have a way of finding us, doesn't it?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping and smiling wryly, hoping things hadn't just taken a turn for the worse.

=†=†=†=†=

KACHAK.

"Pardon us, Sir..." Sebastian said as he opened the door to Ciel's bedroom. "Oh? Your being awake at this hour is quite unusual." He remarked, slightly surprised to see Ciel sitting up in bed, wide-awake.

"Whoa! Ciel woke up early_!_? This has to be one of the seven signs of the apocalypse!" Chêne said dramatically in mock horror.

"I don't want to hear that from the one responsible for it!" Ciel snapped back, chagrined.

"What? How am I to blame for your insomnia?" Chêne asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"Tch! I couldn't sleep well because I was too damned irritated." Ciel said, vein mark throbbing on his forehead as Sebastian handed him that day's newspaper. "Those two didn't get back till late last night, after all." He said grumpily as he unfolded the newspaper and opened it up to read it. "I mean, what in the—!" Ciel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he furrowed his brow as he read the headline.

_ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS ATTACK!  
>A Coffeehouse in Piccadilly Circus severely damaged!<em>

It had happened again.

=†=†=†=†=

{Ciel's Study in the townhouse}

"—Well! Let's be frank, that duo has seemed terribly dodgy from the start~!" Lau said, smiling, as he read the newspaper and watched Ciel as he opened his mail. The stack of letters Sebastian was holding was thicker than a _Webster's Dictionary_.

"Quite." Ciel said, grimacing slightly, as he picked up yet another invitation. "Every time I come to London I can't go a day without one of these..." Ciel mumbled, chagrined, as he opened the unwanted invitation. "However, I can't fathom why they would cause those incidents."

"I'm usually a pretty good judge of character, and I didn't get the feeling either of them would do something like this... Soma might be annoying, but I think he and Agni are good people." Chêne said thoughtfully. "But it is possible that their search for 'Mina' is a lie... I mean, who would really travel halfway across the world to search for a person with only that... _thing_... to go by?" Chêne said, referring to Soma's drawing, and sweat dropping. When she had shown it to people while she was Christmas shopping, all she had gotten for her trouble was a few strange looks, and absolutely no information.

"Indeed. Going by _that_ behavior, the theory of a grudge against colonial rule seems weak at best." Ciel agreed, thinking back on Soma and Agni's annoying, but relatively harmless behavior since they met. "Even if they think ill of Anglo-Indians, attacking them indiscriminately entails too much risk."

"Also, Agni and Soma are very religious, and Hindus believe in the power of non-violence and peace. Hinduism promotes peace, love kindness, hospitality, humanity and love. If I were them, even if _was_ planning to attack someone, it would be the creep who took my friend, not innocent bystanders..." Chêne added.

"In the first place, if they were indeed the perpetrators, would they leave the townhouse in blatant view of my sight as they did? That's like practically begging me to suspect them! Jut thinking back on it makes me angry!" Ciel huffed indignantly.

"Besides—" Chêne started to speak.

"_Well, thennn—!"_ Lau said, smiling innocently as he interrupted her. "To expediate matters, you just have to trail them at night. Right~?"

=†=†=†=†=

{That night...}

"Well, we're heading out, okay? Hurry to bed, little runt Ciel!" Soma said, grinning as he waved goodbye to Ciel, and Agni smiled and closed the door behind them. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head as he growled slightly at the prince's remark.

"You know..." Chêne said cautiously, glancing at Ciel. "If you'd drink more milk, like I keep telling you to, then—"

"Unless you want me to have Sebastian tie you up so that you cannot follow us when we go after those two, then I suggest you refrain from finishing that statement." Ciel said sternly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Sebastian smirked deviously at her, letting her know that he would be all too happy to help fulfill that particular request. Chêne immediately shut her mouth.

"_Yes, Sir!_ Shutting up, Sir~!" Chêne said and mimed zipping her mouth shut. Ciel smirked. Threats didn't usually work with Chêne... He would have to remember that one.

=†=†=†=†=

For hours, all Soma and Agni did was go from pub to pub and club to club, asking everyone they saw for information, and if the had seen the 'beautiful woman,' aka Soma's drawing of Mina.

"By all appearances, they really are just trying to find someone, hmmm?" Lau said as they all stealthily (?) peeked around the corner of a nearby building, tailing the suspicious duo.

"In order to obtain information about someone in England, the first stop should always be the local pubs and clubs. They aren't doing anything out of the ordinary." Ciel said, shivering. It was cold out here. "By the way, what on earth are you humming, Chêne?" he asked her, sweat dropping. Chêne had been softly humming the _Mission Impossible_ theme song for a while now.

"Hm? Oh, sorry! I didn't even realize I was doing it... hehe." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. At least they had the proper background music for their little mission... "Who would've thought stalking people could be so much fun~!"

"I know, right~!" Lau said, smiling brightly. Sebastian and Ciel sweat dropped. Maybe they should limit how much time those two spent together... Chêne felt Sebastian place an arm around her shoulder. Chêne tried to suppress her blush as she glanced questioningly at him, suspicious. What was he up to now...?

"You must be feeling chilled after being out in the cold for so long." Sebastian told her, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin as he pulled out his pocket watch and flipped it open to check the time. The demon butler had to admit, Ciel had been right... he was feeling a little more... protective of Chêne than he probably should... but now was not the proper time or place for a self-psychoanalysis. Ciel sweat dropped, feeling slightly chagrined. Chêne was fine, (her resistance to the elements had been increased when she 'leveled up' as she liked to put it) but he was freezing his butt off out here! "1:00 AM..." Sebastian said as he read the time. "They will be returning to the townhouse shortly. Let us head back as well."

"I'll make you some hot chocolate to warm you up, Ciel." Chêne told the young earl, smiling sympathetically when she noticed his shivering.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive townhouse, not too long after that...}

Snow began to fall outside as Agni dutifully tucked his prince into bed, and bid him goodnight before slipping out of his room, and walking silently down the dark halls of the townhouse. He seemed to be the only one still awake...

_CREAK. _KACHAK.

The front door creaked softly as a mysterious figure exited through it as inconspicuously as possible. It was Agni. The Indian man pulled his cloak tighter around himself as he stole off into the frigid night once again.

"2:45 AM." Sebastian said calmly as he watched the Indian man leave from where he was perched on the rooftop, and he read the time on his pocket watch. "He is on the move, as expected." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. He slid a little further down the roof, and leaned over the side, hanging down so that he could look into the window of the room that Ciel, Chêne and Lau were waiting in. "Young Master. He is on the move." Sebastian reported dutifully. Chêne sweat dropped and smiled wryly. Sebastian looked like a bat, hanging upside down like that.

"So sleepy..." Ciel mumbled drowsily as he staggered to his feet. Chêne sweat dropped again. Maybe she should've made coffee instead of cocoa... "All right, after hi—" Ciel started to say, when someone interrupted.

"Wait!" Soma yelled, causing all of them to stop and look at him.

"!" Ciel said, startled awake. "You...!"

"Take me with you as well." Soma said. "I was aware that Agni would sometimes go out after I'd gone to bed. I want to know... what he's up to." Sebastian glanced at Soma out the corner of his eye when he heard that, wearing a rather jaded expression.

'If he knew, then why didn't he confront Agni, or follow him by himself sooner... why wait until now?' Chêne wondered, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion.


	71. That Butler, Shadowing2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Shadowing 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Take me with you as well." Soma said. "I was aware that Agni would sometimes go out after I'd gone to bed. I want to know... what he's up to." Sebastian glanced at Soma out the corner of his eye when he heard that, wearing a rather jaded expression._

'_If he knew, then why didn't he confront Agni, or follow him by himself sooner... why wait until now?' Chêne wondered, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion._

* * *

><p>"He went into this building." Sebastian said when they all came to a townhouse that was almost as big as Ciel's, but a little less classy.<p>

"!" Chêne said, surprised. "Isn't this is...?" Chêne said, realizing she vaguely remembered something about this place.

"I see. Now I'm starting to get the picture." Ciel said seriously. He knew exactly where they were, and it was all starting to make much more sense if this particular man was involved...

"What do you mean? Whose house is this?" Soma asked anxiously. He didn't like how Serious Ciel looked all of a sudden... Could Agni be in trouble?

"Now, now, your highness. Patience, patience." Lau said, smiling, as he patted Soma on the shoulder. "It will be clear once you've gone inside. And then you will be forced to face the truth, whether you like it or not." Lau said mysteriously. "_You... and I both... 'kay?"_ They all stood there in silence, staring at Lau.

"By the 'and I,' I take it you haven't a clue either?" Ciel deadpanned. He, Sebastian, and Chêne were all wearing identical expressions of disbelief and slight scorn as they stared at the Chinaman.

"_Yes~!"_ Lau said shamelessly, giving them all a brilliant smile. "Who lives here?"

"This residence belongs to Harold West Jeb, who runs an extensive import business. I had the distinct displeasure of meeting him once... He's an unsavory sort who loves all kinds of tittles." Ciel explained.

"Oh, _that guy_... Now I remember. He's that 'retail snob' from before." Chêne mumbled, chagrined. "Meeting him was such an irritatingly annoying event, that I had managed to completely block it from my memory, until just now..." She said, sweat dropping.

"My, what a convenient memory you possess." Sebastian said, smirking slightly at her. If only he could forget half the annoyances caused by the three stooges...

"Imports, hmm? We're in the same business, then." Lau said, smiling.

"Why would Agni go to an importer's house?" Soma asked, beyond confused.

"I have no idea why Agni would want to talk to that jerk, but he mainly imports spice and tea leaves from India, and... runs 'Harold Trading,' a general store... and the 'Harold West,' a Hindustani coffeehouse." Chêne said.

""Whilst investigating Miss Mina, I happened across Mister West's name in some of the documents I was reviewing." Sebastian said. "Per those papers, Bengal is indeed the main source of his wares... and he has suffered collateral damage from the hanging incidents... but..."

"_But_...?" Chêne asked curiously. Sebastian smirked.

"... It seems the company representative, Mister West himself, _just happened_ to be away at the time of the incidents and escaped being hung." Sebastian said, putting emphasis on how 'lucky' West had been.

"Heh! There's nothing more suspicious than such extraordinarily good luck in a case like this. If West were behind the incidents, it would be all too easy to pretend to be suddenly called away on business, and arrange to use his workers as sacrificial lambs in order to appear more innocent to the Yard." Chêne said cynically, frowning in disapproval of such low tactics.

"Indeed." Sebastian agreed.

""There's nothing for it... Let's go take a look." Ciel said. If West were involved in the hanging incidents, then this would be killing two birds with one stone.

"As you wish, Sir." Sebastian replied dutifully.

"It's been a while since I've had to hop a fence~!" Chêne said, grinning impishly as she as she backed up a bit, and took off, getting a running start, before jumping on top of the 9ft tall brick wall. "Phew~! I wasn't sure I'd make it for a moment there, but this is about the same height as the cemetery I used to sneak into with Lacey." Chêne said, sighing in relief. Ciel sweat dropped. Chêne was usually such a goody two-shoes, that he still found it odd how she seemed to have no compunction against sneaking into places where she didn't belong... _and why were her and Lacey sneaking into a cemetery, of all places!_? Ciel decided he'd rather not know, since Lacey was involved... it was bound to be something _abnormal_.

"!" Ciel said, surprised when Sebastian suddenly grabbed him, and leapt clean over the wall, not even bothering to make a show of 'needing' a running start.

"_You idi—!"_ Ciel yelled, alarmed, turning slightly blue with shock. At least Chêne had _tried_ to make it look like she was somewhat normal with her running start—this was just ridiculous!

TMP.

"It is faster this way.' Sebastian said calmly as he landed gracefully on the ground and set Ciel down.

"Hmph! You just didn't want me to beat you to the other side of the fence." Chêne huffed as she dropped down next to them, landing lightly on her hands and the tips of her toes in a squatting position.

"My, one can tell you truly were raised by a cat, Chêne. You even land like one, on all fours." Sebastian said, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin as he pet her on the head, much to Chêne's chagrin.

"Don't _pet_ me, dammit!" Chêne whisper yelled indignantly, blushing, not wanting to take the chance of attracting attention to the fact that they were inside the fence now.

"Are you all right~?" Lau asked Soma, smiling and slightly amused, as he squatted down on top of the brick wall, next to the exhausted Soma, who had struggled to climb to the top. He was obviously new to this whole 'breaking and entering' thing.

_RUSTLE._

Sebastian and Chêne glanced up as the bushes rustled nearby and three rather vicious looking Doberman Pinschers came out, growling menacingly at them.

"_!_!" Everyone but Sebastian said, alarmed.

"Ciel_!_!" Soma cried in alarm and concern for his new friend.

"There just _had to be_ guard dogs, didn't there...?" Chêne said nervously as she slowly backed away from the approaching canines. It seemed like they had picked her as their first target. "Why do dogs have such issues with me?" She asked, sweat dropping. Puppies never really had a problem with her, but for some reason, dogs over a certain age all acted like she had stepped on their tails or stolen their bones from them in another life... "Do I look like a mailman to you_!_?" Chêne hissed at the dogs, sweat dropping. As if in answer to her question, the dogs snapped their jaws and leaped at her. "—_!_" Chêne cried in alarm as she grabbed a nearby branch to defend herself with... However, that turned out to be totally unnecessary, because all three dogs suddenly froze in fear.

_KSSHH..._

Sebastian had released a small amount of his demonic aura, and the fierce dogs trembled in horror as stared at them with glowing crimson eyes. The demon butler's pupils had became slitted as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the animals, silently warning them to back off. They didn't need to be told twice. The dogs immediately began backing away from them with their tails between their legs, whining pitifully.

"Oh? The hounds are falling back...?" Soma said, relieved, but slightly puzzled over their sudden change in demeanor.

"Heh. What cowardly guard dogs Mister West keeps." Sebastian said sardonically, smirking.

"..." Chêne and Ciel said, sweat dropping. Unlike Soma and Lau, they had been close enough to feel Sebastian's dark and evil energy. Even Chuck Norris would've backed off... Speaking of Lau, where did he go...? The Chinaman had disappeared on them again.

"Hohhh there, Earlll~!" Lau called out to them. "Over here, over here!" There he was, standing there casually and smiling, as he held a long needle and twirled a key ring that held the keys to the mansion on it. Behind him were two unconscious men, lying on the ground. Both of them had a long needle, like the one Lau had in his hand, stuck in their necks, right at the base of their necks.

"..." Ciel, Chêne, and Soma said as they stared at him. Those men looked awfully... _still._..

"Eeep!" Soma yelped, blue with shock, and trembling in fear.

"You..." Ciel said, also looking a little pale as he sweat dropped and furrowed his brow in disapproval.

"You've really done it now, Lau..." Chêne said gravely, hoping the men weren't really as dead as they looked. Sebastian just stared at the Chinese man. What had been the point of sparring the dogs, if Lau was just going to kill two humans? Having to dispose of a couple of bodies was going to slow them down considerably...

"Nooo, what do you take me for? I didn't kill them. I simply put them to sleep~!" Lau said, smiling as he waved his finger at them in disapproval, like a teacher scolding a naughty child. "I think it's a four thousand-year-old method from ancient China?"

"You _think—!_?" Chêne asked incredulously, flinching in shock. "Don't stab a needle in someone's neck just because you _think_ it'll be all right_!_! The wrong amount of pressure on that particular pressure point will not only cause pain and paralysis, but it can cause _internal bleeding!_!" She scolded Lau as she snatched the needle out of his hand. "I'm confiscating this until you learn the meaning of 'responsibility'!"

"Eeehh~?" Lau said sadly, pouting slightly, like a child being scolded by his mother. Soma stared at Chêne in amazement. She really was like Durga! To think she would be able to stand up to such a shady character like that, when she was just a girl...

"Ahem!" Ciel said, sweat dropping as he cleared his throat. "Nevermind. Let's stop dallying and find him already." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly. Really, these people...

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside West's home...}

There do not seem to be any guards inside." Sebastian whispered to the others as he and Chêne led their little group through the townhouse. It was dark in there, so naturally, the two of them who had night vision were leading the way, and Sebastian was the best fighter out of all of them, so having him go first would be best in case they ran into another guard.

"West's home security is just like him. Flashy on the outside, but empty on the inside." Chêne deadpanned.

"I can hear voices coming from the second floor. What say we go upstairs and have a look?" Sebastian suggested.

"You really dislike this Mister West, don't you?" Lau asked Chêne as they climbed the stairs, intrigued. Chêne rarely held a grudge against someone to this extent.

"Of course I do! He grabbed my ass!" Chêne whisper-yelled indignantly, vein mark throbbing on her forehead. Sebastian froze, causing Chêne to bump into him. "What is it? Is something wrong?" Chêne asked, worried that maybe she had been too loud and attracted unwanted attention.

"He _touched_ you?" Sebastian asked, more like demanded, in an eerily calm tone of voice, while smiling a strained smile that did nothing to hide the murderous intent that was leaking off of him. _"When did this happen?"_

"The last time we met with him, while you and Ciel weren't paying attention. But I gave him 'the glare,' and he realized he messed with someone he shouldn't have, so it's been taken care of." Chêne said, shrugging nonchalantly. Ciel sweat dropped. He had seen Chêne give someone 'the glare' before when a thug tried to mug them before, and Sebastian wasn't around... the thug had been reduced to a screaming little girl, and had run off with his tail between his legs. Ciel had no idea if her glare was a new power or not, but he hoped it was never directed at _him_... Sebastian didn't know what Chêne was talking about, but he was suddenly feeling much more enthusiastic about being able to possibly cause West some grief if he was truly behind the hangings or Mina's disappearance.

"Say something sooner next time. I won't have people thinking they can take advantage of my servants." Ciel scolded her. Chêne smiled at him like he was the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

"Aw, Ciel... that was so sweet of you~!" Chêne said, hugging him.

"—!" Ciel said, blushing out of embarrassment. "What are you—" He started to whisper-yell indignantly, when they heard another voice speak up from down the second floor's hallway. There was a door that just happened to be open a crack, and there was light pouring out from the room and into the hallway, letting them know it was indeed occupied.

"You've done a splendid job." The voice said as they all tiptoed closer, and peeked stealthily into the room. "Don't look so tormented, old chap. Why not have a cigar and relax?" West asked as he opened a cigar box and removed one for himself. Agni was sitting rigidly on the sofa, with his hands on his knees. It was obvious from the look on his face that Agni would rather be just about anywhere but in that room. "This is a first-class Havana cigar I brought back from James Fox, the Royal Warrant holder." West boasted, smirking, as he turned back around to face Agni, holding the cigar in one hand and the newspaper in the other.

"..." Agni said, furrowing his brow. Chêne narrowed her eyes in annoyance at West.

'There he goes, bragging... _again.'_ Chêne thought. Personally, she felt that he should've been arrested a long time ago... _by the fashion police_. West's hairstyle reminded her of a duck's tail, and he wore some pretty large and gaudy looking rings on his finger for a man in the Victorian era, and only one of them actually had a functional use, which was the ring containing the seal for his crest. And to top it all off, he was wearing grey snakeskin boots... a totally awesome accessory when _not_ paired with a brown tweed suit—I mean, was he freaking colorblind, too_!_?

"Well, in any case... the plan has been executed to perfection so far. Everything will be resolved in a week's time." West said as he set down his cigar and took a step towards Agni, grabbing his right hand. _"And as long as I have this 'right hand of God,' my scheme will be realized!"_ That got the attention of everyone around out in the hall. "Three long years I've waited. I'll see myself victorious in this, no matter what!" West said determinedly.

"If I can carry out my mission as promised... Mina wi—" Agni said nervously.

Everyone in the hall tensed. This is what they were here for! Now they just had to wait and listen, and West would probably indirectly tell them everything they needed to know without even realizing—

_BANG!_

"_Mina!_?" Soma yelled desperately as he threw the door open, and burst into the room.

"_!_?" West and Agni said in alarm, both looking equally shocked by the prince's appearance. Chêne face-palmed. Soma really sucked at this whole spy thing.

"You bloody f—!" Ciel started to yell, turning slightly blue with shock over Soma's stupidity for giving himself away like that, but a hand clamped over his mouth as Sebastian pulled him and Chêne back, holding them close. "Mmph!" Ciel said, his voice muffled by Sebastian's hand.

"Why was I grabbed too?" Chêne asked, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian, as she sweat dropped. Not that she really minded being so close...

"He knows the young master and us. Let us see how things proceed before rushing in." Sebastian said calmly, loosening his grip on Ciel slightly, but he kept a hold on Chêne. She was the most likely to do something impulsive if things took a turn for the worse, after all.

"M-My prince—" Agni said nervously. Soma grabbed the front of Agni's tunic.

"_What is the meaning of this, Agni!_? _Have you known where Mina is all along!_?" Soma demanded, clearly distressed. He couldn't believe Agni was hiding something from him...!

"Aah... So that's your master, hm... Agni?" West asked, smirking. Soma twitched. He grit his teeth and glared at West. He hadn't been able to get a very good look from out in the hallway, but now he could see West's face clearly.

"You... are the swine who took Mina away." Soma growled. _"Agni! Knock him down!"_ Soma ordered, pointing at West. West just stood there calmly, unimpressed.

"_...!"_ Agni said, gritting his teeth in frustration, sweating as he strained to remain standing where he was instead of following Soma's order.

"Agni! What are you doing_!_?" Soma asked, distraught, wondering why Agni was hesitating when they finally had the man who took Mina.

"Hmph!" West said, smirking cynically in dark amusement. His face was cast partially in shadow. Chêne narrowed her eyes at that. This would not end well. "_Agni. Throw his annoying highness out of here."_ West ordered Agni smugly.

"_Wha—!_?" Soma yelled incredulously, paling slightly. Agni's eyes were cast in shadow, and he had broken out into a cold sweat. He looked like he was going to be physically ill.

"Can't you hear what I'm saying?" West jeered at Agni as he leered at Soma.

"... It would seem a quarrel has ensued." Sebastian stated calmly, looking rather bored. Lau was listening to the argument, holding his face propped up in his hands as he sat in the hall with them, not looking very amused at the moment.

"I really want to punch that smirk off of that jerk's face. Can I, Ciel?" Chêne asked seriously with a gleam in her eye. Ciel heaved a deep, weary sigh, already fed up with the entire situation. Soma had made a fine mess of things, in his opinion.

"..." Ciel said, sweat dropping. For a moment, he considered sicking Chêne on West, but thought better of it. "Though there's no mistaking West's involvement with the hangings based on their little Chat... They no longer seem to be 'incidents of the underworld'." Ciel said.

"And that means this is all outside of the Earl's jurisdiction. As it has to do with polite society and all." Lau whispered, smiling wryly.

"Tch." Chêne said, pouting slightly as she clicked her tongue in disappointment.

"... Indeed." Ciel said, sweat dropping as he agreed with both Lau and Chêne's sentiments. He didn't much care for West either, and he had gone to all this trouble for something that had turned out to be so idiotic too...

"But informing the Yard is a pain, so what do you say we beat them silly and go home?" Lau suggested.

"Ooh, I like that plan~!" Chêne said, grinning. Sebastian felt that he wouldn't mind going along with that either after hearing what West had done to Chêne earlier. "We can let Soma and Agni work out their differences together later." She added.

"That doesn't sound half-bad, but I have another idea. Let's leave West at large for a while longer." Ciel said. "Tonight, we'll be leaving here with that thick headed prince."

"But West knows what you three look like, right?" Lau pointed out.

"That he does." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as he sweat dropped. That could complicate things a bit...

"What if I knocked him out really fast from behind...?" Chêne suggested thoughtfully, as she tried to think of a way she could possibly pull that off without being seen.

"Please let me handle it." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. "I have a good idea." Chêne raised an eyebrow at the demon butler.

This ought to be good...


	72. That Butler, Shadowing3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Shadowing 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_But West knows what you three look like, right?" Lau pointed out._

"_That he does." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as he sweat dropped. That could complicate things a bit..._

"_What if I knocked him out really fast from behind...?" Chêne suggested thoughtfully, as she tried to think of a way she could possibly pull that off without being seen._

"_Please let me handle it." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. "I have a good idea." Chêne raised an eyebrow at the demon butler. _

_This ought to be good..._

* * *

><p>"Agni, what is wrong with you<em>!<em>? Explain yourself!" Soma yelled anxiously. Why wasn't Agni listening to his orders anymore_!_?

"I..." Agni said, his face cast partially in shadow as he sweated nervously. "I have nothing to tell you." Agni said, furrowing his brow and grimacing, as though he were in pain. "Please leave now."

"Wh—" Soma said, shocked. He stared at Agni, eyes wide, in disbelief. "What are you say—" West smirked evilly, his teeth holding his cigar in his mouth.

"Good boy." West said patronizingly.

"_You bastard!_!_ What have you done to him!_?" Soma demanded furiously as he grabbed West by the front of his suit jacket, much to West's displeasure.

"Please stop!" Agni begged Soma as he pulled his prince off of West, restraining him as best as he could without hurting him.

"Let me go, Agni! Why are you doing as he says_!_?" Soma cried, feeling confused and betrayed.

"Well, I never!" West huffed indignantly as he brushed himself off, and tried to straighten out his suit. "My Gieves & Hawkes suit is all wrinkled!" West said, grimacing in distaste as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead.

"_Agni! Get your hands off me!"_ Soma cried as he struggled to break free so he could get at West. Agni squeezed his eyes shut sadly and grit his teeth as he held on tightly to his prince. If he let Soma go now... then it would all be for nothing...

"Y'know for those chaps who are a bit hard of hearing, a good beating always does the trick!" West said thoughtfully, smirking. _"Agni. Give his highness the prince a good whack to shut him up."_ West ordered.

"_!_?" Soma said, alarmed, as he and Agni both flinched in shock. He wanted Agni to hurt him_!_?

"Ha-ha! What's wrong?" West asked in mock concern as bullets of sweat dripped down Agni's face. The Indian man was clearly horrified at the thought of harming the prince he served. "I'm not ordering you to kill him." West said as Agni's right hand trembled. "I'm only telling you to rough him up a bit to get him to bite his tongue. Aren't I a nice fellow?" West asked, smirking slightly, knowing that what he was asking Agni to do wasn't 'nice' at all.

"Agni..." Soma said nervously, paling slightly when he saw the look on his khansama's face. Agni's brow was furrowed in frustration, his eyes were wide, and his face was cast in shadow as he sweated heavily. He no longer resembled the kind and confident man they had all come to know. He looked like a man tormented by demons.

"_Agni!"_ West said firmly, letting the poor Indian man know he wasn't going to wait forever, smirking deviously. Agni squeezed his eyes shut tightly, unable to bare to look at Soma's pained and frightened expression as he raised his hand against his prince and god. Soma flinched in shock and horror as Agni's hand flew towards him, too stunned by Agni's betrayal to move.

_SLAP!_

The loud sound echoed through the room as Agni's arm slammed into not Soma, but someone else's arm, as they blocked the attack intended for the prince, standing in between Agni and Soma.

"_!_?" Agni and Soma said when they realized what had happened, their eyes widening in shock. Soma's mysterious rescuer... was wearing a butler's uniform and what appeared to be... _a deer's head._..

'_A deer?'_ Soma and Agni thought, positively stunned, giving the deer-man a blank stare. They were so shocked, that they had both turned into white chibis...

"_Wh-Wh-Who the hell iiiiis thiiiiiis!_?" West demanded incredulously, turning blue with shock, and breaking out into a nervous sweat. It was like he had just witnessed a UFO crashing in Roswell, and they were making first contact with an alien. Deer-man whipped his head around to stare at West. _"Eep!"_ West yelped, squealing like a little girl.

"I, naught but a humble dear, have come for this prince." Deer-man said politely as he placed a hand over his chest and gave West a deep bow, displaying the proper etiquette for greeting the master of the house. West flinched in surprised, totally wigged out.

"Putting on that mounted deer head and going in was a stroke of brilliance, Master Butler~!" Lau praised as he stared at the empty spot on the wall in the hallway where the deer head had been previously mounted, before Sebastian had found a better use for it.

"Are we talking about the same 'idea' here?" Ciel asked, chagrined. This was officially getting ridiculous now. "He did hide his face but..." Ciel sweat dropped as he glanced at Chêne, who was sitting on the floor, shaking as she tried to hold in her laughter. Chêne knew she shouldn't laugh. This was a serious situation, after all, but... _Sebastian was wearing a deer head, for crying out loud—!_! West was yelling something about Sebastian's clever, clever disguise, demanding to know who he was and where he came from as he ran over to Agni, probably thinking that was the safest place to be with a deer-man in the room.

"_Fo-Forget the prince, this might be one of the enemy's spies! Agni!" _West commanded shrilly. He was getting hysterical now. Did he have some kind of deer related phobia? Agni flinched, startled. He was glad that he no longer had to harm his prince, but he recognized that uniform...

"Nothing of the sort. I am simply one hell of a deer—" Sebastian, aka 'Deer-man,' started to say calmly.

"—_Pfft!_!" Chêne burst out, unable to contain herself any longer, once she heard that line. Chêne was laughing so hard, that no sound came out, because she couldn't breathe, and she was rolling around on the hallway floor, silently laughing uncontrollably. Sebastian was going to kill her with laughter if he kept this up! Ciel sweat dropped as he watched her. Well, at least she was being quiet... though she was starting to turn red in the face...

"_Kill him!_!" West yelled, thankfully too distracted by Sebastian's disguise to notice Chêne's laugh from out in the hall.

"Kill—!" Agni yelled, horrified. It was one thing to rough someone up, but murder_!_? "I cannot do such—" He protested.

"_Shut up!"_ West yelled harshly. "Do you want me to renege on that promise_!_? I'm ordering you!" West shouted, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. _"Do it!_!" Agni flinched and furrowed his brow, bowing his head, causing his facial expression to be hidden from them.

"I... I...!" Agni said painfully, clenching his fists as he trembled slightly.

_DRIP. PLIP._

Chêne's eyes widened in shock and horror. She was no longer laughing when a certain metallic scent hit her nose. She peeked into the room nervously, hoping she was mistaken. She wasn't. A red, metallic-scented substance was flowing from Agni's eyes like tears, dripping from his face, and onto the floor... Agni was crying_ blood._ Agni collapsed to the floor as bloody tears streamed down his face.

"My God... my Master... is but one and no other... and for he alone would I use my right hand... So I had vowed." Agni said shakily. He gritted his teeth. "Now I shall commit a sin by betraying that god..."

"_Agni... No...!" _Soma cried in alarm.

"Please forgive me!" Agni cried as he ripped the bandages from his right hand. "_OHHHH!_!" Agni roared, letting loose a mighty and pained war cry as he charged at Sebastian. Soma turned blue with shock and fear as Sebastian just stood there calmly and readjusted his gloves as Agni rushed towards him.

_WHAM!_

Agni's fist smashed into a beautifully carved wooden chest when Sebastian swiftly dodged his attack and grabbed Soma, taking the prince with him, as ordered by Ciel. The chest, as well as part of the wall behind it, crumbled to pieces, leaving a huge hole in the wall. The power behind Agni's attacks was on a completely different level now.

"_Gyaaaaah! Not the chest I bought at General Tradiiiiinnng!"_ West screamed, paling slightly as he held his face in his hands, doing a marvelous impression of the painting of _'The Scream.'_ Inside the deer head, Sebastian smirked evilly. That gave him an excellent idea for how to get even with West for the inappropriate behavior that he had exhibited against his Chêne... wait, _'his Chêne'...?_ Sebastian shook his head. Now was not the time for that. He came to a stop in front of a rather expensive looking lamp, and waited for Agni to attack again.

_WHAM! CRASH!_

Just as before, Sebastian dodged the attack at the last minute, causing Agni to destroy the lamp in his stead. The lovely lamp had been obliterated and shattered to pieces by Agni's powerful attack.

"_Stoppp! That's a one of a kind Galle lamp from Thomas Goode!"_ West shrieked, but Agni didn't stop. He kept pursuing Sebastian, who kept finding valuable things to direct Agni's destructive force at.

_CRASH!_

"_My Royal Worcester tablewaaare! My Lock & Co. Haaat_!" West cried in agony as his material goods continued to be destroyed, one after another.

_SLAM! WHAM!_

"Whoa!" Chêne said, surprised when a few small pieces of the ceiling's plaster decorations started to break loose from the force of the vibrations shaking the house from Sebastian and Agni's fight, and fall around them.

"Uwah!" Ciel cried in surprise when he was suddenly lifted up into someone's arms.

"This is all starting to look a might dangerous. We should take our leave now, Earl, Miss Maid." Lau said calmly as he held Ciel like you would a toddler, much to the young earl's chagrin.

"I agree. As fun as this is, it won't be a laughing matter if the house collapses on us from all their rough housing." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"_Let's go!"_ Chêne yelled at Sebastian from the hallway, so that West wouldn't see her face. Sebastian didn't seem to be ready to leave yet, as he made no move to follow them, but Lau was done waiting, and he took off, pulling Chêne with him, as he carried Ciel to safety. He couldn't let such entertaining people die on him, now could he?

"...!" Chêne said, surprised when Lau started dragging her away.

"Hey!" Ciel said indignantly. _"People will start taking note of this commotion! Once you've grabbed the prince, you'd better run for it too!"_ Ciel ordered Sebastian.

"As you wish." Sebastian said calmly as he carried Soma over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, not seeming to be at all concerned that Agni was charging at him again. Reassured that Sebastian was getting the heck out of dodge, Chêne immediately stopped resisting Lau's efforts to pull her to safety, and they mad their getaway. She trusted that Sebastian could handle himself.

_WHAM!_

Sebastian kicked open the window and jumped out, still holding Soma, just as Agni's fist slammed into the windowsill, where he had been standing just a moment ago. An explosion of rubble from the house's stone wall rained down as Sebastian landed gracefully on the ground, despite having just jumped from the second floor. The deer-headed butler glanced back at Agni over his shoulder for a brief moment before escaping off into the night.

"..." Agni said as he stared after the English butler and his prince, panting from exhaustion, as tears of blood stained his cheeks. It was all over now... he had crossed a line, and he knew his prince would never forgive him...

"_Not my poor house toooo!"_ West wailed miserably, totally oblivious to the pained expression on Agni's face.


	73. That Butler, Shadowing4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Shadowing 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_..." Agni said as he stared after the English butler and his prince, panting from exhaustion, as tears of blood stained his cheeks. It was all over now... he had crossed a line, and he knew his prince would never forgive him..._

"_Not my poor house toooo!" West wailed miserably, totally oblivious to the pained expression on Agni's face._

* * *

><p>{Back at the Phantomhive townhouse...}<p>

"Amazing, wasn't he? That fellow from before?" Lau said, referring to Agni. He, Ciel, and Soma were all seated around a table that had been moved next to the fireplace, so they could warm themselves up, and Sebastian and Chêne were serving them Chai tea and freshly baked black currant scones, still warm from the oven. "It was beyond anything that could be defined as human." Lau added as he sipped his tea, and Chêne sat down too, joining them at the table. She was feeling a little tired and hungry too, so Ciel had already given her the okay to eat their snack with them earlier.

"Is he going to be okay? He was crying blood..." Chêne asked, concerned.

"He was in the state of 'Samadhi.' No one can lay a hand on him when he gets like that." Soma said as he sat in his chair with his legs crossed, leaning his head on his hand. Chêne felt sorry for Soma. He was understandably upset after what had occurred between him and Agni back at West's home.

"Samadhi?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"It has to do with their religion... Samadhi is a spiritual state of consciousness, like a trance." Chêne said, trying to think of a better way she could explain it.

"Human beings are rare creatures that can produce tremendous power derived from intense belief that gives way to a kind of blind faith." Sebastian stated calmly. Chêne glanced at him, slightly surprised. There was a rather jaded look in his eyes as he continued to speak. "The Norse Vikings of yore became berserkers in the name of their war god Odin... The paladins of the crusades fought in the name of Yahweh by invading foreign lands time and time again..." Even though they had suffered great losses most of the time, and never actually reclaimed their full former glory in the supposed 'Holy Land,' they continued killing in the name of their God. This is why humans were so...

"Oh, right, like how my mother lifted a ca—I mean automobile off of one of the neighborhood girls when we were younger, after she got pinned underneath it..." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"You mean to tell me... that your mother lifted something that would most likely take at least twenty men to lift, all by herself?" Lau asked, stunned. Ciel sweat dropped. If anyone could do such a thing, it would definitely be Pomona... He could definitely see that happening after meeting the strange woman.

"Yes. She said that she thought it was me under the automobile, since all she could see were two little feet sticking out from underneath it, and the girl and I had on the exact same shoes that day. Lacey, I, and a bunch of kids from the neighborhood had all been playing hide-and-seek outside that Saturday, and that poor girl, Gracie Henderson, had been 'it', so she was counting by our mailbox, when a drunk driver just came out of nowhere, and flipped over, on top of her, after hitting our mailbox. My mom heard me scream when I saw it happen from my hiding place, and she ran out of the house. She was so desperate to save 'me' that she actually grabbed the car by the bumper, and flipped it back over, and off of Gracie. Gracie had a broken leg, a few crushed ribs, and a concussion after being crushed by the car, but the doctors said that if my mother hadn't acted so quickly, it would've been a lot worse, because the car would've been crushing her for longer. Gracie's perfectly fine now, but we weren't allowed to play anywhere near the street after that." Chêne explained.

"Was this before or after your kidnapping?" Sebastian asked curiously.

'Kidnapping_!_?' Soma thought, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Something that terrible had happened to this carefree girl...?

"After... why?" Chêne asked, tilting her head slightly.

"I was merely curious." Sebastian said, smiling. No wonder Pomona had been so quick to act... She had learned her lesson from Chêne's kidnapping, and hadn't wasted any time in running to her screaming child. "Like Chêne's mother, there are also humans who are able to make the impossible become possible, if they believe strongly enough that doing so can save a loved one. _He _too numbers among them." Sebastian said, referring to Agni. "Because of his absolute devotion to his 'god' and 'master,' Prince Soma... He can invoke power that is beyond human. It is a power that _our like_ cannot boast... That which is born of belief in and love for another... _A power known as 'Faith.'"_ Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he placed a hand over his chest, where a human's heart would be. He glanced slyly at Ciel, looking to see what the boy's reaction would be. Ciel stared back at him boredly, frowning slightly, almost as if he couldn't care less that Sebastian would never have any true 'faith' in his master. However... Sebastian noticed there was a strange look in Chêne's eyes as she stared at him a little sadly... almost pityingly...? Sebastian frowned slightly in confusion, wondering why she was looking at him like that. She should not feel pity for a demon like him. It was dangerous to sympathize with the devil. Chêne broke eye contact with him, turning to Soma, and smiling reassuringly at him.

"I'm sure Sebastian is right, and Agni was able to enter Samadhi because of his devotion to you." Chêne told Soma. "I think he was probably crying blood, because he didn't want to hurt you, but felt that he had no choice... Though he appears to be working for West, I think he is still loyal to you, and he is doing this for your sake somehow."

"Then why... did he betray me?" Soma mumbled dejectedly. "_Why did he willfully abandon me!_?" Soma yelled as he suddenly swung his arm out, purposefully knocking his teacup over, spilling tea all-over the white tablecloth, and sweeping his dessert plate to the floor.

_CRASH!_

The china shattered when it hit the floor.

"!" Chêne said, startled. Was he seriously going to break Ciel's stuff because he was throwing a tantrum_!_?

"...! _Why, you..."_ Ciel yelled incredulously, jumping back in his seat to avoid the rest of the china as Soma continued to destroy the rest of the set. What the bloody hell was wrong with this spoiled brat_!_?

"_Why!_?_ Why does everyone leave my side!_?_ Why!_?_ How come..."_ Soma screamed. They all stared at him in a stunned silence as Soma stood, panting from all the yelling and china trashing he had just done. Without another word to any of them, Soma suddenly took off, running from the room. The door slammed shut behind him.

"Are you three all right?" Sebastian asked Ciel, Chêne, and Lau.

"We ducked, so we're fine." Lau said, smiling wryly as Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped.

"... I know he's upset, but I didn't expect someone who's about sixteen or seventeen to throw such a violent tantrum..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she stood up and removed the tablecloth. "I'll go take care of this before the stain sets in for good." Chêne said as she left the room to clean the soiled tablecloth, trying to avoid stepping on the shattered pieces of china littering the floor. "I'll bring a broom back with me, once I set this up to soak..." She said, smiling sadly. Sebastian glanced at her briefly before looking down at the blue and gold china.

"_Oh dear_... There goes the Haviland tea set I sent away for because I thought it would be perfect for Young Master..." Sebastian said. Chêne had also been rather attached to that particular set, since a similar one had been passed down through her family, along with a _Blue Willow_ china set from Royal Doulton. She liked to have a cup of tea using this set whenever she was feeling homesick... "I do believe... the unruly prince needs to be re-taught his manners a touch." Sebastian said ominously. The demon looked calm, but Ciel had the distinct feeling that Soma had just kicked the hornet's nest.

=†=†=†=†=

_KACHAK._

The door to the guest bedroom that Soma was staying in clicked open, and the light from the hallway cast a silhouette of the intruder across the floor. The demonic butler standing in the doorway stepped into the room, and closed the door behind him, plunging the room into complete darkness again, as he approached the bed. Judging by the large lump in the guest bed, Soma had pulled the covers over himself, and curled up in the middle of the bed, hugging a pillow. Soma, who was indeed underneath the covers, realized that he could hear whoever had opened the door getting closer, and they weren't going away. Soma poked his head out from under the covers, irritated that they were bothering him at such a time.

"You knave!" Soma yelled incredulously at his intruder, who he now knew to be Sebastian. "Who gave you permission to enter this—"

_FLAP!_ THUNK!

Without any warning or hesitation, Sebastian suddenly yanked away the bed sheets that Soma had been curled up in, forcefully sending the prince toppling to the floor with a thud.

"_...!" _Soma said, shocked._ "Wha!" _He yelled incredulously. Soma could not _believe _this was happening. How dare a mere servant treat him in this manner_!_? "You insolent foo—"

"Which of us is being insolent?" Sebastian asked coldly.

"_!_?" Soma said, startled.

"Doing as you please and leaving a mess in your wake... You have made a fine pest of yourself." Sebastian said emotionlessly as he stepped around Soma and laid the sheets back on the bed smoothly.

"Wha..._!_?" Soma said incredulously, sweating nervously as a vein mark throbbed on his head. What was with Ciel's khansama_!_? How dare he treat a prince this way_!_?

"You are in England, at the residence of Earl Phantomhive. This is neither your country, nor your castle." Sebastian said coolly. He turned around to face Soma, looking down on the spoiled prince with disdain. "Here, in this place, you have absolutely no right to order anything of me. _Here, you are nothing more than a whelp." _Sebastian said coldly with a dignified air that almost made Soma feel as though _he_ were the servant, and Sebastian was the one of royal blood. Soma flinched, startled. He started breaking out in a nervous sweat. Why was he suddenly feeling as though this man before him had more power then he, a _prince_...?

"A powerless child who cannot do anything unless Mister Agni is with you. And now you have also been betrayed by him, your last ray of light." Sebastian continued coolly, not seeming to care how cruel his words were. Soma hung his head in defeat, his eyes cast in shadow as they were hidden by his bangs. "Yes... I haven't anything left. I've lost it all..." Soma said bitterly.

"Lost?" Sebastian said cynically, sounding slightly amused. "Heh! What amazing persecutory delusions you have there." Sebastian said, smirking. Soma's eyes widened slightly in shock. _What...?_ "You have not lost anything..." The demon said, grinning evilly. "... As you had nothing to lose to begin with."

"Eh...?" Soma said, stunned. He stared at the demon butler before him, frozen in fear._ No_... He didn't want to hear these words... He wanted the cruel man before him to stop. He wanted to run away... But he couldn't. It was as if a spell had been cast over Soma, and he was a fly ensnared in a spider's web, with no other choice but to stay still and endure the poisonous words he did not wish to hear.

"Your parents gave you your status. Your parents gave you your palace. Your parents gave you your servants. From the very beginning, none of it was ever your own. Do I not speak the truth?" Sebastian asked, smirking, as Soma stared at him in horror, seeing the harsh reality of the demon's words. "Even when it came to Mister Agni, you had an inkling of something being amiss there, yes?" Sebastian prodded, causing Soma to flinch guiltily. "But you had not the courage to ascertain the matter yourself." Sebastian continued mercilessly.

"Y...—!" Soma said, distressed, as he furrowed his brow, trying to find the strength to stand up for himself. "You're wrong!" Soma cried desperately as he ran to the door.

_BANG._

Sebastian slammed his hand against the door, cutting off the prince's escape.

"Ah, but I am not wrong, am I?" Sebastian leered at the frightened prince. Soma was drenched in sweat now. He looked like a terrified animal that had just realized it was trapped in the claws of a dangerous predator. Sebastian smirked. "I see. So now that reality is being thrust in your face, you have decided to affect the role of the tragic hero this time?" Sebastian asked slyly. "Heh. You truly are a pathetic, hopeless brat." Sebastian said contemptuously, smirking deviously at Soma as he leaned closer to the scared prince. Chêne and Ciel had both been through far more terrible experiences than this, at much younger ages than Soma, but neither of them had ever acted so pathetically in his presence.

"But... But...! _Everyone said they would always stay by my side—!"_ Soma cried.

"Lip service, of course." Sebastian said coldly. "No one serves another without a reward. Even a three-year-old from the slums knows that much." The demon watched coldly as Soma stared at him in horror, trembling. "_Not a one of them ever loved you."_ Sebastian said darkly as he stared down at the trembling prince emotionlessly.

"I... I—!" Soma stuttered, trying to find a way to deny Sebastian's cruel words.

"_Sebastian!"_ Chêne said sternly as she pushed open the door. (Luckily Sebastian hadn't actually been using any real strength to hold the door shut.) "I heard that, and I know how pissed off you are, but there are just some things you shouldn't say!" Chêne scolded the demon butler, frowning in disapproval. Sebastian smirked wryly as he turned to look at Chêne. So, she had decided to come ridding in on her white horse to save this fool, after all. She was far too forgiving and merciful. It amazed the demon that she had managed to survive in the human world for so long with such naive behavior...

"Oh? Was there a problem with something I said?" Sebastian asked with feigned innocence. "It is not as though anything I said was a lie."

"But you don't know if it's completely true either." Chêne pointed out as she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Sebastian. "I know he's annoying, but why are you trying to psychologically damage Soma over a few broken plates_!_?" Sebastian blinked, slightly taken aback... She thought this was about the broken china...? That little incident had merely been the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Heh, you think I would risk suffering your wrath over such a trivial occurrence?" Sebastian teased her, smirking handsomely at her. Chêne blushed.

"Don't you _dare_ think that you can just _flirt your way_ out of this one, _mister_!" Chêne snapped at him, flustered.

"Let's leave it at that." Ciel said calmly, interrupting before it could turn into an argument.

"Young Master." Sebastian said calmly as he and Chêne both glanced at Ciel. Ciel really didn't seem to be that bothered by Sebastian's tactics, since he was leaning rather casually against the doorframe, but at least he was making an effort to intervene on Soma's behalf.

"I might've ended up just like him..." Ciel said calmly, closing his eyes. Soma panted, breathing heavily, as he stared at Ciel, confused and distressed from the psychological torture Sebastian had been inflicting on him. "—If not for..." Ciel said, closing his eyes briefly before staring straight ahead. "That one long month—" A cold and distant look came into his deep blue eyes as the young earl remembered being helplessly trapped inside...

_That cage_...


	74. That Butler, Superhuman

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Superhuman<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I might've ended up just like him..." Ciel said calmly, closing his eyes. Soma panted, breathing heavily, as he stared at Ciel, confused and distressed from the psychological torture Sebastian had been inflicting on him. "—If not for..." Ciel said, closing his eyes briefly before staring straight ahead. "That one long month—" A cold and distant look came into his deep blue eyes as the young earl remembered... that cage..._

* * *

><p><span>=Flashback=<span>

{Phantomhive Manor, three years ago...}

"Somebody!" The ten-year-old Ciel cried as he ran through his family's home, checking every room, trying to find his mother, his father—_anybody_. "Heey! Where did everyone go_!_?" Ciel yelled anxiously.

He was starting to get really worried now. Something was definitely wrong. Why couldn't he find anyone? There wasn't even a single one of their servants in sight! Ciel stopped running, and bent over as he held his knees, panting from all the yelling and running he had just done. Then he heard it. There was a low growling sound coming from one of the rooms a few feet away, around the next corner of the hallway. It sounded like his dog, Sebastian. Then he heard a yelping sound. Someone was hurting his dog! Ciel ran to the room, and threw the door open, prepared to defend his pet, but there was no one in the room... the culprit must have escaped before he got there. Ciel's eyes widened in shock when he realized what was lying on the floor in front of him. It was Sebastian. The body of his faithful dog was lying there on the floor in front of him, illuminated by the light streaming in from the open door.

"Sebastian...?" Ciel said, shocked. The poor dog was lying in a pool of it's own blood, and it wasn't moving. Ciel reached out and tried to pet his dog, too shocked to realize that it was probably dead already. He stared down at his hands, horrified, when he saw the blood that was now staining them from his dog... and also... he had finally noticed the golden lock of hair that was lying on the floor, just beyond the reach of the light from the hallway... _his mother's hair._ There, not too far from Sebastian, were the bloody bodies of his parents, just barely visible in the darkness.

"_Father! Mother!" _Ciel screamed in horror when it finally sunk in through his shock. _"Someone help me! Everyone's going to die!"_ He screamed as he ran out of the room, desperate to find someone who could help. Ciel, in his innocence, did not stop to think that maybe his parents were beyond help... or that someone had _wanted to kill them._ Ciel kept running and running, until finally he saw Mister Tanaka, the Phantomhive Family's head butler.

"_Tanaka! Help me!"_ Ciel cried desperately, relived to have finally found someone. The old Japanese man turned to Ciel, startled to see the boy still in the manor, when it was so dangerous.

"You must not come over here!" Tanaka yelled in alarm. _"Please run away. Lord Ciel... This is too awful for y—"_ Tanaka's eyes widened in shock and pain, and he paled as he coughed up blood, and started to fall.

"_Tana—"_ Ciel yelled, alarmed and concerned as his butler fell on top of him. Ciel's eyes widened in shock and terror when he saw the dark figure who had snuck up behind Tanaka, and stabbed the old man in the back, as they both fell to the ground. The next thing Ciel knew, someone was covering his eyes, and he felt a sharp pain as his vision started to fade.

"Let's take him with us. He'll fetch a good price." Ciel heard someone say sinisterly as he lost consciousness. "There's this thing called idle curiosity, and it's got deep pockets."

=†=†=†=†=

"Ohh... What have we here!" A well-dressed old 'gentleman' said, blushing excitedly when the curtain over the cage they were keeping Ciel in lifted, and he stared at Ciel through the bars of the cage like he was some kind of rare animal on display in the zoo.

"Rare, right?" The same voice he had heard before he woke up in this horrible place said from somewhere off to the side.

"This is more than two persons' worth!" The old pervert exclaimed greedily as he purchased Ciel, paying double the price to ensure he didn't lose Ciel to someone else.

"Cheers, Guv." The sinister voice said as Ciel heard the sound of coins changing hands.

=†=†=†=†=

"_I shall brand you with the mark of the Noble Beast."_ The old pervert, who turned out to be the leader of a black magic cult told Ciel wickedly as he pressed the burning brand into Ciel's fair skin.

"_AAAAH!"_ Ciel screamed in agony as the brand seared his flesh. '_Let me out. Let me out. Let me out of here.'_ Ciel silently prayed, begging God to help him.

"_See, you've gotten so much lovelier now."_ The cult members told Ciel wickedly as they laid their filthy hands on him. Ciel soon found himself back in a cage again. He huddled up as far into the back corner of his new prison as the chain around his ankle would allow.

'_Father, Mother, God. Please.'_ Ciel begged silently as he buried his head in his arms, hiding his tears.

=†=†=†=†=

{About a month later...}

"Let us begin the noble mass once more this evening." The cult leader said grandly as he and his masked followers gathered around the cage.

'_Why? Why must we be—!'_ Ciel thought, full of despair as he huddled in the back corner of the cage, covered in filth, bruises, and wounds. _'No one's coming to save me.'_ But then, a miracle seemed to have occurred, and a strange girl appeared before Ciel and the cult when they tried to use him as the next sacrifice. The girl walked determinedly towards the cage.

"Where's the key for this thing?" She asked boldly.

"W-What do you think you are doing?" the leader demanded, outraged by her lack of respect.

The girl looked at him as if he were a complete idiot.

"Freeing him, duh." The girl said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ciel's eyes widened. _He was... saved...?_ The leader turned an interesting shade of purple.

"_Freeing_ him!" the leader shrieked, outraged. "What kind of demon are you?" The girl frowned in confusion.

"Demon? Who, _me_?" The girl asked pointing to herself. "What ever gave you that idea? Any way you look at it, I'm human." The girl said, crossing her arms.

"You came through the summoning circle!" The leader exclaimed. "If you are not a demon, then how else could you have done it?"

"How should I know?" The girl said, shrugging. "This is just a dream anyway. It doesn't _have_ to make sense. This is _my_ dream, so I can do whatever I want, and I want to free this kid, so get out of my way." But it was not meant to be. Ciel should have known it was too good to be true. They stopped the girl, whose name he would late know was Chêne, before she could help him.

"You impertinent wench, I'll turn this 'dream' of yours into a _nightmare_!" The leader said, signaling to another member to bring him the brand-iron that was still conveniently sitting in a pail of hot coals. Chêne's eyes widened when she realized his intentions. Ciel watched helplessly as the leader and his fellow cult members surrounded and restrained her. The boy was filled with agonizing despair as he watched them brand Chêne, just as they had done to him when he first arrived in this wretched place. All hope was lost now. Ciel struggled as they dragged him to the altar. It was his turn now. Chêne was screaming now, begging them to spare him, but the two children's cries fell on deaf ears. Ciel watched, horrified as the leader raised the ceremonial dagger above him. Why—Why did he have to suffer_!_? What did he or any of the other children do to deserve this_!_? Why did God give him hope, only to crush it completely_!_? Ciel's desperation was turning into rage as he felt his life draining from him.

_'_Why should _we_ have to die!' Ciel thought and grit his teeth in anger. 'There is_ no _such thing as God in this world_!_!_—KILL KILL KILL KILL—!'_ Ciel screamed in his mind as two glowing crimson eyes watched him.

"—**Oh? Well, well. What a tiny master this is."** A dark, seductive voice mused. Heels clicked on the floor as a figure, shrouded in shadows paced the room. Circling, like a predator. **"You have summoned me. That fact will not change for all eternity... and the sacrifice that has been made will never return. Now! Make your choice."** The demon said to Ciel, smirking like a Cheshire cat.

"Hey, kid…" Chêne said gently, but firmly as she cautiously approached Ciel, despite the demon. She gently placed her hand on the side of his face, cradling his head. "…Ciel?" Ciel's head snapped to side, and he stared at Chêne.

"…What … did you call me? Ciel asked her.

"Ciel…that's you're name, right?" Chêne said, looking relived that he could still talk, smiling gently at him.

"Yes … my name is Ciel…" Ciel said slowly. 'That's right.' He thought. 'I am Ciel Phantomhive. _No._ I am now _Earl_ Phantomhive.' Ciel's eyes hardened as he remembered. He was a nobleman, and someone had _dared_ to murder his parents and burn down their home. Someone had _dared_ to humiliate and debase _him_, selling him off to this cult, like an animal. Ciel glared coldly at the cult members scattered throughout the room. He looked the demon right in the eyes. His decision was made.

"_I command you!_!" Ciel yelled, and a glowing pentagram surrounded by a spiked circled appeared in his right eye. _"Kill them all!"_

=End Flashback=

Ciel lightly touched his eye patch, feeling a slight tingle in his hidden eye, as he recalled those horrible memories.

"—C..." Soma said nervously as he stared at the young earl, wondering why he was making such a scary face when he had just been staring off into space for a moment. "Ciel..."

"My... family was murdered, my home burned to ash... and I myself was subjected to humiliations unfit for even a beast." Ciel said emotionlessly, managing to keep his voice steady as he clenched his fist. "I was a powerless... child." Chêne bowed her head sadly, knowing that the kind of trauma Ciel endured had left him with a scar that had never fully healed. She wanted to comfort Ciel, but she knew he wouldn't appreciate being coddled, especially in front of Soma. "Thus, I returned to Phantomhive, so that I might inflict the same humiliation upon those who made me and mine suffer. If the Phantomhive was an obstacle to those who dispatched its previous head three years ago, they will eventually target me again if I stay on as Earl." Ciel continued calmly. "I'm waiting... for them to come here and make an attempt on my life."

"Why... would you go that far..." Soma asked, distressed. Why would someone who had been through such a horrible experience, purposefully make themselves a target for the people who had caused their suffering again...?

"Despairing, grieving, standing still... what good will they do?" Ciel asked calmly as he straightened up from leaning on the doorframe and slowly approached Soma. "Even the dead can stand still. But here I am... alive and standing on my own two feet, with my own strength." Ciel said, his blue eyes full of steady resolve. "If I'm going to die at some point anyway, I'd rather do so without regrets. I won't make any lofty claims about trying to avenge the previous head. I'm simply doing this for my own diversion. Them or me, Earl Phantomhive. This is all just a game to see who wins." He explained coolly. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Ciel was giving Soma a speech that was rather similar to one Chêne had given him before. "Even if I'm made to stand on the edge of despair in a hellish place... I won't give up. I'll grab the spider's thread if it'll help me crawl up out of there. _We humans posses that kind of strength."_ Ciel stated determinedly as he held his hand out, clenching his fist. Chêne smiled softly at how strong Ciel had become. Chêne had not really approved of Ciel's little revenge game, but she had realized early on that even if it wasn't the best path for Ciel, he still desperately needed one. The boy had lost sight of his purpose in life the night he lost his parents, and it was better for him to have a reason to live and to get stronger than nothing at all... That was why she had decided she needed to support him. To help him along, until the day he no longer felt the need to play this dangerous game, and was able to smile freely again. Soma and Sebastian stared at Ciel, slightly surprised by the thirteen-year-old's commanding presence. Sebastian smirked. It seemed Chêne was a much more positive influence than Ciel often cared to admit. It had been surprising to see how much he resembled Chêne when he spoke like that. "To grab that thread or not, however... is your own decision, and yours alone." Ciel concluded. "Enough of this prattle. Sebastian, Chêne, I want to talk to you about West. Come." Ciel said calmly as he left the room, trusting them to follow.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said, bowing, as Chêne smiled, before they both followed after their young master, leaving the prince behind to have some time alone to reflect upon Ciel's words. Chêne paused briefly in the doorway and glanced back at Soma.

"There's just one thing I'd like to add, Prince." Chêne said, smiling sympathetically at him. "About what Sebastian said before... Here's a piece of advice my grandfather gave me once, 'If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be.' Please consider that as well when deciding whether or not to grab that thread." Soma stared after them as he replayed Ciel's words in his mind.

'To grab that thread or not, is your own decision, and yours alone—' Soma thought as he stared down at the floor. He clenched his fist. Soma knew what he had to do.

=†=†=†=†=

"My, your grandfather was quite the romantic philosopher..." Sebastian said, smirking at Chêne. Chêne shrugged and smiled fondly at the memory of her Papère.

"Well, he was a smart man. He raised my father, after all." Chêne said, grinning proudly.

"That is amazing... considering he was so normal and sane, compared to the people around him..." Ciel mumbled, seat dropping.

"Ciel...!" Soma yelled from behind them, causing them all to stop and look back at the prince as he ran down the stairs to catch up to them. "I...! I am ashamed of myself." Soma said earnestly, panting as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm seventeen, but I'm still an unseasoned fool next to you and Chêne." He said apologetically.

'Wait... why was I included in that just now?' Chêne wondered. It sounded as though Soma thought she was younger than him...

"I was a spoiled child in the nest that parents granted me... and never even once tried to understand others." Soma said as he hung his head in shame, and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with himself. "I knew Agni was troubled, but I didn't even try to talk to him about it." He said, full of guilt and regret. "But now I want to know. I want to confront them and ask them why they left my side." Soma raised his head, with a determined look in his eyes, as he started to approach Ciel again. "_So please! Please let me join you in—"_

"_I decline."_ Ciel said flatly, holding up a hand in a 'stop' gesture as the prince froze in his tracks, stunned by how quickly and bluntly Ciel had rejected him.

"..." Soma said as he stood there, frozen in shock. Now what was he supposed to do...?

"I have no desire to babysit a charge as naïve as yourself. See yaaa." Ciel deadpanned, giving a little wave as he turned to continue on his way. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel was obviously getting even with Soma for when the prince had treated him this way before.

"..." Soma said, still frozen in shock. Seriously, _what now?_

"... That said... My parlour door has never been locked." Ciel said, his back turned to them. Chêne smiled wryly. That Ciel... it was so cute when he got embarrassed over doing a good deed.

"..." Soma said as he stared at Ciel, and little angels played trumpets around his head when he realized what that meant. "_Ciel~!_!" Soma cried happily as he suddenly launched himself at the younger boy, glomping him.

"Uwah_!_!" Ciel yelled, surprised by the sudden invasion of his person space. Ciel sweat dropped. "I should've kept my mouth shut." Ciel grumbled, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Why did everyone insist on hugging him_!_? Was there a sign taped to his back, or something_!_?

"Oh, yes." Soma said, releasing Ciel, much to the young earl's relief. "Ciel, I apologize for breaking the cups earlier when I snapped. Please forgive me." Soma said earnestly. Chêne smiled. It looked like Soma had already started growing a little more as a person. Maybe Sebastian's... _scolding_... had done some good after all. "And..." Soma said, glancing at Chene and Sebastian. Soma froze when his eyes landed on Sebastian, and he seemed to shrink slightly as he cautiously shuffled behind Ciel, using him as a human shield. "I... I apologize to you and Chêne too..." The prince said nervously, shaking, as he peeked over Ciel's shoulder at them. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Yeah, Sebastian had definitely traumatized the poor kid...

"Not at all... How amusing." Sebastian said, smiling wryly at the scared prince. This had worked out even better than he expected...

"Just don't do it again, and everything's forgiven..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "By the way... just how old do you think I am?" She asked. Chêne had a feeling she might regret asking, though...

"Hm? Aren't you fifteen?" Soma said, slightly puzzled as to why she was asking this. Chêne stared at Soma, blinking.

"Well, that's actually better than what people usually guess..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. "I'm nineteen, even though I don't really look it..." Some stared at her, shocked.

"_You're older than me!_?" Soma yelled incredulously in disbelief.

"You don't have to act _that _shocked!" Chêne yelled back, chagrined.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I know this is a little different from what I had before for when they all met, but this is meant to be just Ciel's flash back, after all, and it was choppy in the manga too, so I tried to keep it like that... I hope it was okay. ^_^;


	75. That Butler, Superhuman2

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Superhuman 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I... I apologize to you and Chêne too..." The prince said nervously, shaking, as he peeked over Ciel's shoulder at them. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Yeah, Sebastian had definitely traumatized the poor kid..._

"_Not at all... How amusing." Sebastian said, smiling wryly at the scared prince. This had worked out even better than he expected..._

"_Just don't do it again, and everything's forgiven..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped._

* * *

><p>"—Now then. Let us continue our little chat from before his highness's interruption." Lau said, smiling as they all sat back down at the table together again. Soma shifted guiltily in his chair, feeling ashamed of his spoiled behavior now. "First, West must have put Agni up to the aforementioned incidents. With his physical abilities, it would be easy for him to do everything alone." Lau said. Soma flinched, turning slightly blue with shock when Sebastian approached him to serve him tea.<p>

"..." Sebastian said, frowning slightly in an attempt to hide his amusement. It hadn't really been all that bad, had it...?

"West mentioned... A 'three year plan' that 'the successful execution of that plan will take place in one week,' and that 'Agni's right hand is absolutely necessary'... I think that's everything." Chêne said.

"The most important factor here is the 'one week later' deadline." Ciel said as he accepted his tea from Sebastian.

"I agree. Now we know for sure that this isn't over yet, and when they'll make their final move, whatever it is." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"If West is using Agni's 'right hand of god,' perhaps they plan to raid a major event?" Lau suggested.

"It's possible... but I think the large-scale functions have all but ended, now that it's winter... and the queen's Golden Jubilee was held just last year..." Chêne pointed out.

"Sebastian. What events will be held in London one week from now?" Ciel asked. If Chêne didn't know, Sebastian definitely would.

"One week from now?" Sebastian said thoughtfully. "Hm. Young Master has received invitations to... a choir concert sponsored by Saint Sophia Academy at Westminster Abbey... Wagner at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden... an exhibition of Indian culture and its prosperity within The Empire at the Crystal Palace... an exhibition of world currencies at the British Museum..."

"Wait, go back! What was that about India?" Chêne asked, jumping out of her chair.

"... India?" Ciel said. He could see why Chêne was so excited. If they were going to pick an event, that would probably be it. They had targeted Anglo-Indians, after all.

"Young Master, a gentleman must read all correspondence addressed to him, _no matter what the contents._" Sebastian told Ciel glibly, sighing 'wearily,' as though he were explaining a simple fact to a stubborn toddler.

"_Shut up and just give me the details." _Ciel snapped, blushing slightly out of embarrassment, as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead.

"'The exhibition of Indian culture and its prosperity in the British Empire' will be held at the Crystal Palace next week. The main exhibits will feature Great Britain's achievements and Industry in India. A curry fair will be held as part of the programme." Sebastian explained. "Young Master had received an invitation to be a special judge at that fair. The fair will have several companies competing with their curries. Rumor has it that Her Majesty, who is known for her love of curry, will come visit the fair. Should I see which individuals are hosting their own parties as well?"

"India... Curry... That's _quite_ enough." Ciel said, sweat dropping, fed up with the whole situation.

"I see. So it's _that_ after all. I guess you should have accepted, Ciel. It sounds fun... and we'd have an excuse to be there too..." Chêne said, smiling wryly. It'd be kind of weird to show up now, after he had rejected being a judge, since he probably just made the usual excuse of being 'too busy with work' without even reading the whole thing.

"It seems you've caught on, my Lord, Miss Maid." Lau said, smirking slightly.

"Yes. 'Three years.' 'A fair.' And as West covets brands and titles, he would only think of one thing." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly. "I can't believe how silly this case has turned out to be. I'm so unnerved, I don't know what to say..."

"?" Soma said, wondering what Ciel was talking about.

"And here I thought there was some deep dark meaning behind the attacks, but it turns out to be over something so ridiculous..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and sipped her tea.

"?" Soma said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion.

"Ah-ha-ha~! So you really were sent on a fool's errand." Lau said, smiling and laughing.

"Hey, wait! I don't understand what's going on. Explain it to me_!_!" Soma shouted, tired of feeling left out of the loop.

"Quiet down, your highness. You will receive your explanation in due time... _from Lord Earl and Miss Maid~!"_ Lau said, smiling innocently as he gestured to the two of them. "Right~_!_?" A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head as Chêne sweat dropped.

"_Once again, you were only pretending to know!" _Ciel said, clearly irritated with the Chinaman's airheaded behavior. Soma sweat dropped.

"Ahem, the main dish served at West's Hindustani coffeehouse is curry." Chêne said, getting the conversation back on track, before Ciel did something _Lau _might regret.

"In other words, West is attempting to obtain a 'Royal Warrant' with his 'curry.'" Ciel added.

"Ah, now I understand~!" Lau said, smiling as a little light bulb lit up inside his head.

"_A Row-y'all Warrant?_ What is that?" Soma asked. He had never heard of such a thing before...

"Ah, right! Your highness wouldn't know of it." Lau said, smiling, as he nodded in understanding. "England has a curious system. Members of the royal family can grant a seal of 'approval' to merchants and artisans of whom they are fond. That seal is known as the '_Royal Warrant.'_ And... stores that hold the Royal Warrant can display that seal on their signs." Lau explained.

"?" Soma said, wondering why it was such a big deal.

"A Royal Warrant is equivalent to quality assurance." Chêne said. "If it's good enough for royalty to like it, then it must be 'something special,' right? Royalty wouldn't settle for anything but the best, after all."

"When a brand receives a Warrant, sales are guaranteed to increase. We were considering applying for the Royal Warrant for our confectionery and toy brand." Ciel explained. "Some stores have tripled their sales... as Queen Victoria sets the trends for everything from fashion to food."

"She's England's beloved queen who has led them into a very prosperous time, so the products that _she_, in particular, endorses immediately gain fame and popularity. People will even abandon one brand (that they might have liked better), in favor of their rival company if Queen Victoria 'approves' of them more." Chêne added.

"Haah... The rage for curry has slowed down, so West must want the title, whatever the cost." Ciel said, sighing in annoyance. A Royal Warrant would undoubtedly give West a huge advantage over his competitors, but to think that West had caused him so much grief over such a ridiculous thing really irked Ciel.

"I understand that West wants the so-called 'Royal Warrant.' But what does that have to do with the hanging incidents?" Soma asked. Why would Agni betray him for something like this...?

"There are two conditions for obtaining a Royal Warrant." Sebastian said, smiling knowingly, as he held up a finger. "The first is to '_have the product's quality recognized at a fair.'"_ He held up a second finger. "And the second is... _'gratuitous service to the Royal Family for three years.'"_

"!" Soma said in shocked realization as it finally clicked into place for him.

"For three years, West has been servicing the Royal Family with his imports for free. He then caused those incidents to destroy his rivals who are participating in the fair next week." Chêne said, frowning in disapproval at West's cowardly tactics. "And Military personnel were attacked as well, so it looked as if the culprits were Indians who held a grudge against England. West is probably using Mina to force Mister Agni to participate in this silly plan... What a weasel!"

"... And Agni is doing it for the sake of his own _god._" Ciel said, exchanging a glance with Sebastian. He had heard of Agni's background from Sebastian and Chêne already, so he knew the whole story.

"Eh?" Soma said, wondering what Ciel meant by that.

"The letters left behind at the crime scenes held another important clue besides camouflage." Ciel said as Sebastian handed him a copy of the letter Agni left at the crime scene. Chêne raised an eyebrow. When did Sebastian get that? He probably pinched it when they were reading Abberline's notes... "Right here." Ciel said, pointing to the tongue Agni had drawn at the bottom of the paper. "Lord Randall was ranting that the mark was an insult against England, but just as Chêne thought, its real meaning is something else entirely. You pray to _that_, no?" Ciel said, leaning around in his armchair to point at the statue of Kali that Soma and Agni had set up before.

"Ah..." Soma said, his eyes widening slightly as he too turned to stare at the statue.

"Your god... is the goddess Kali, with her tongue lolling out. Agni drew this." Ciel said. "And who is Agni's 'god'?"

"He did it all for you. Mister Agni was trying to save Mina for you, without involving you in West's scheme, but he knew you would be hurt if you knew the truth. So, like when your goddess Kali stuck her tongue out to express her shame after stepping on her husband, the god Shiva, Mister Agni drew this tongue. I believe that both his prayers for you and his apology were drawn into this mark." Chêne said, smiling gently.

"Mister Agni worships you and lives for you even after he has left your side. You have been blessed with a wonderful butler." Sebastian said respectfully. Soma gripped Agni's note in his hand, deeply touched by his khansama's care, and their kind words.

"Agni..." Soma said, clenching the letter in his hands as he bit his lip and held back his tears. He should have had more faith. Why had he been so quick to doubt Agni? Soma was ashamed of himself.

"Then, all's well that ends well, eh~? What a heartwarming story." Lau said, smiling and clapping. "Well, let's wash our hands of this affair. How about we have the Yard handle the rest?" He suggested.

"_W-Wait!"_ Soma yelled anxiously, jumping out of his chair._ "Then what will become of Agni... and Mina!_?"

"Who knows?" Lau said, smiling carelessly. Chêne sweat dropped. If Randall caught Agni, he probably wouldn't be nearly as lenient or sympathetic as they would, since he didn't know Agni like they did, and he seemed to be taking this case personally when they had last met him... but...

"We know that this incident doesn't concern our side, the underworld." Ciel said, yawning. It was getting quite late... or early, rather. They had already stayed awake through the whole night, and into the next morning, after all. "And we're not running a charity."

"...!" Soma said, clearly distressed. "I understand..." Soma said dejectedly. "This is indeed my problem. I will think about what I can do to solve it on my own." Soma said determinedly, clenching his fist. Although... he had no idea what he could possibly do to help Agni on his own...

"That's the spirit, Soma." Chêne said, smiling sympathetically. She felt bad for him, and Agni, and was about to offer to help, when Ciel spoke again.

"Good attitude. Then I'll get on with my _work._" Ciel said, getting Sebastian and Chêne's attention. Chêne smiled. She should have known Ciel would have something up his sleeve. The young earl smirked as he laced his fingers together and stretched his arms out. "I was summoned to London in winter on this worthless errand. Don't I deserve some reward for my troubles?" He said slyly. Sebastian smirked. He had a feeling things were about to get interesting. "A Royal Warrant is granted after three years of gratuitous service and one's showing at a fair. The fair will be held in one week. And fortunately for us, the top competition is unable to participate." Ciel said. The young earl grinned deviously as he continued to speak. "_Therefore, if our Funtom Corporation participates and wins against West... the Royal Warrant will be ours."_ They all stared at the cunning young earl. Chêne and Lau smiled, Soma stared at Ciel in stunned amazement, and Sebastian smirked at the boy's slyness. How very like Ciel, to plan revenge by beating someone at their own game.

"I was considering moving into the food business after we'd obtained a warrant for our confectionery and toys. If we get the warrant at the curry fair, it would be the talk of the town." Ciel said, grinning.

"We could leapfrog ahead, instead of taking it slow, like we had originally planned." Chêne said, matching Ciel's sly grin.

"Indeed. It'll be quite the trophy to mark the launch of Funtom's culinary line." Lau said, smiling like a Cheshire cat. The earl was always doing the most amusing things... "But you only have one week to set up a culinary department. Will you be able to prepare specialists in curry, cooking equipment, stores, and such in time?" Lau asked.

"We won't be needing any of that." Ciel said calmly as he sipped his tea. "Isn't that right? Sebastian, Chêne?" Ciel said, smirking as he glanced at both of them. Sebastian smirked, and Chêne grinned impishly.

"As servants of the Phantomhive family, it goes without saying that we can manage something like this." Sebastian said slyly, placing a hand over his breast as he spoke for both of them. Chêne could just picture the awesome curry Sebastian would make. She hadn't actually had a chance to taste Agni's curry when he made it the other day, but if anyone could make an amazing, kick-ass curry, it would be Sebastian.

"The Royal Warrant will b—" Chêne started to say.

"_Impossible!"_ Soma yelled, interrupting her. The imaginary plate of curry in Chêne's mind flipped over, spilling out the contents, as they all stared at Soma, stunned.

"_Nn?"_ Chêne and Sebastian said, confused, wondering what his problem was. Ciel furrowed his brow slightly, looking slightly confused and concerned for the prince's mental health. Why did he seem so certain they would fail...?

"There is no way you can win against West... in a curry match!" Soma said gravely, sweating nervously.

"Why not?" Lau asked.

"He has Agni... _who in turn has the right hand of god."_ Soma said seriously. Chêne furrowed her brow slightly. Was it really that bad...?

"The destructive power of the 'right hand of god' is indeed extraordinary, but we're not competing in a combat sport. This is a curry cooking competition." Ciel said, sweat dropping.

"That's it right there! It _isn't _a combat sport like fencing. It's a curry match!" Soma said urgently.

"!" Chêne said, finally understanding what he was getting at. "I see, you're right... this could be a real challenge for us..." She said thoughtfully, holding her chin.

"Pardon me. I do not quite follow..." Sebastian said, sweat dropping. Ciel and Lau looked rather confused too.

"You don't know Agni's true power. You do not know real curry." Soma said gravely.

=†=†=†=†=

{West's Home...}

A heavenly aroma of savory spices drifted out of the house through the giant hole where the second story window that had been destroyed the previous night was. The savory aroma pervading the air was coming from the kitchen, and it called to all of West's servants, and innocent passersby, like a siren's song, and they found themselves drawn to the kitchen door of the house, compelled to follow the mouthwatering aroma.

=†=†=†=†=

{Phantomhive townhouse...}

"I'll admit that I've never made curry myself before, and I didn't get the chance to taste Mister Agni's, but I have, in fact, had 'real curry,' and Mr. Raja and Mrs. Karishma told me about how curry is made before." Chêne said a little defensively. "The quality of real curry is determined by the spices in it, and one must choose from hundreds of spices, right? The amount of each spice one uses determines the curry's taste, heat, and fragrance... The spices affect everything." Chêne explained. "However, it is very difficult to find the right balance, which is why my family doesn't have a curry recipe, since it's so troublesome to deal with all the spices, and grind them fresh and perfectly every time."

"Exactly." Soma said, nodding in approval. "One has an infinite array of choices. Making the best curry is like finding one truth out of all the truths in the universe. But Agni's right hand can do that." Soma explained seriously. "With only his fingertips, he selects the best spices from an innumerable selection and mixes in the optimal amounts... to create curry that is nothing short of a miracle."

=†=†=†=†=

{West's home...}

The servants that had been entranced by the heavenly aroma wafting from the kitchen, crowded around the door, trying to get a peek at what was happening inside, and what could possibly be causing such a wonderful aroma. They were amazed as they watched Agni swiftly and gracefully prepare the curry, using fluid movements that wasted none of his energy or time, and ran back and forth between several different pots and saucepans, like the seasoned pro he was... 

_This was true curry!_

=†=†=†=†=

{Phantomhive townhouse...}

"... His power to imagine and create a world from nothing is indeed within the realm of godliness." Soma said. "That is why Agni, with his 'right hand of god,' is called... _Kali's right hand!_ I've never had curry that was better than Agni's. That's why I told him to offer me his right hand forever." He said gravely. Chêne sweat dropped. In other words... Soma had saved Agni just because he wanted good curry...? How anticlimactic...

"So the 'right hand of god'..." Ciel said, chagrined, and sweat dropping. Was this for real?

"_... Refers not to godly 'strength,' but to godly 'curry making skills'?"_ Lau asked, finishing Ciel's sentence.

"Fabulous..." Chêne deadpanned, sighing. She knew Agni was good from how awesome his curry had smelled before, but they were pretty much complete novices against a 'curry god.' She could sense a lot of sleepless nights and hard work in her future...

"There you have it. Sebastian?" Ciel said calmly.

"Heh." Sebastian said, smirking devilishly, as he held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I seem to have found myself up against a formidable adversary." Sebastian mused. He was clearly looking forward to the challenge.


	76. That Butler, Cogitating

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Cogitating<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_So the 'right hand of god'..." Ciel said, chagrined, sweat dropping. Was this for real?_

"_... Refers not to godly 'strength,' but to godly 'curry making skills'?" Lau asked, finishing Ciel's sentence._

"_Fabulous..." Chêne deadpanned, sighing. She knew Agni was good from how awesome his curry had smelled before, but they were pretty much complete novices against a 'curry god.' She could sense a lot of sleepless nights and hard work in her future..._

"_There you have it. Sebastian?" Ciel said calmly._

"_Heh." Sebastian said, smirking devilishly, as he held his hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Well, well... I seem to have found myself up against a formidable adversary." Sebastian mused. He was clearly looking forward to the challenge._

* * *

><p>{The Phantomhive Downstairs, the kitchen...}<p>

CHOP. CHOP. CHOP.

The warm and gentle morning sunlight began to stream through the kitchen window as Sebastian chopped the vegetables for his first attempt at curry. The others were all changing into fresh clothes, and possibly even taking a short nap, since they had ended up staying awake all night, while he cooked. Ciel had decided that Sebastian was to be the one who cooked the curry for the competition, and Chêne would only be allowed to help him by critiquing the food, since her taste buds were as sensitive as a pro's. Ciel had ordered Sebastian to create the perfect curry to defeat Agni on his own, since he would be on his own when he cooked during the competition too, and it was more interesting that way, since it was a battle between two 'ridiculously talented' butlers, which suited Sebastian just fine. The demon butler had decided to begin cooking curry the same way he had learned to cook everything else. Start with an existing recipe, and learn the basics from it. Then, adapt the recipe to his needs, and have Chêne act as his guinea pig, and let him know if it needed any adjustments.

"_Nnhuh?_ Sebastian, yer up awful early." Bard commented sleepily as he stumbled into the kitchen with Mei-Rin and Finny.

"Good morning, it is!" Mei-Rin greeted him brightly, blushing a little.

"Gooood Morniiiiin'~!" Finni called out cheerfully.

"What the heck you makin' at this hour? Shouldn't Chêne be making our breakfast?" Bard asked, yawning as he scratched his head. "Where is she?"

"That would be curry." Sebastian replied as he placed the chopped vegetables in the frying pan, so he could brown them properly. "Chêne is catching up on some much needed sleep at the moment, as she had a rather tiring night. Do not disturb her." Unlike Sebastian, Chêne still needed a certain amount of sleep to be able to fully function properly, and he needed her to be at her best when she assessed his curry.

"Huh, ain't that a rare sight." Bard said. Normally, Sebastian would literally _drag_ Chêne out of bed if she refused to wake up, no matter what the reason.

'_A t-t-t-tiring night—!_?' Mei-Rin yelled internally, also finding it strange that Sebastian was being so lenient on Chêne. 'C-Could it be... They really _did _have a tryst last night, and Mister Sebastian is being so considerate because they—_!_?' Mei-Rin thought excitedly, slapping her hands over her face as her nose started to bleed. Bard, though he was still half asleep, noticed the maid's reaction, and sweat dropped. He didn't even want to know...

"So... What kinda curry?" Bard asked, deciding to ignore Mei-Rin's awkward nosebleed, as the bespectacled maid mumbled something to herself that sounded like 'N-No, you mustn't, Mister Sebastian...! _Chêne's purity will...!_'

"With Prince Soma still in residence and all, I think perhaps chicken curry might be best." Sebastian said calmly as he read the recipe again, also choosing to ignore Mei-Rin's strange behavior, finding that he did not particularly care whether she misunderstood or not... though Chêne's reaction, if she found out, would undoubtedly be highly amusing. "Though I have not made it often in the past, since Young Master is not fond of spicy foods..." Actually, it was more like he had _never _made it before... Sebastian set the book down and clapped his hands, ready to begin. "Now then." The demon butler said as he went to work, carrying out each step as he read the instructions.

_Chop the onions finely and sauté them in butter.  
>Once the onions are cooked, add diced chicken, curry paste, curry powder, Bengali chutney, and lime and mango pickle to the sauté.<br>Pour water over the sautéed Chicken and let cook for one and a half hours.  
>Once the water has all but boiled away, add a dollop of cream and serve.<em>

"Waah~! Looks yummy~_!_!" Finni said, drooling slightly as he gazed longingly at the finished plate of curry Sebastian was holding. _"Smells delish tooo~!"_

"With a curry like this, that Agni feller doesn't stand a chance!" Bard said, grinning as he slung an arm around Sebastian's shoulder, and Mei-Rin nodded vigorously in approval. Despite their glowing praise, Sebastian remained straight-faced. Even if it smelled delicious, it had not yet been tasted by his critic... and Chêne took food rather seriously.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Dining Hall...}

"_YUCK!_!" Soma cried bluntly in disgust, turning slightly blue, his eyes wide with shock. Sebastian, Ciel, and Lau stared at him, stunned. Chêne's eyes were hidden by her bangs as she sat in her chair, frozen mid-bite. They had all just taken their first bite of Sebastian's curry (except for Ciel, who had been about to, before Soma blurted out his uncensored opinion) after he served it to him, but Lau had personally found it extremely delicious.

"Was it not to your taste?" Sebastian asked, concerned. Chêne was being strangely silent. Normally, she would already have told him her opinion by now, good or bad...

"_Gyah!"_ Soma yelped, flinching, when he realized that he had just been incredibly rude to such a scary person again. "_I-It's not that... it's just very different from the curry that I always eat in India, so, well... and this is good in its own way... um..."_ Soma mumbled incoherently, terrified that Sebastian might 'scold' him again. Sebastian stared blankly at Soma. Was he expected to understand that incoherent babbling?

"It is fine. Please, continue." Sebastian said reassuringly, hoping the prince would make more sense if he calmed down. Soma sighed in relief and relaxed, once he heard that, and realized he wasn't in any danger.

"Yes, Soma. Just tell him the truth. Sugar-coating it won't help Sebastian improve at all." Chêne said coolly as she finished chewing and swallowed as she lowered her spoon, placing it beside her plate, and crossing her arms. Chêne closed her eyes and sighed deeply before turning to Sebastian. "_I'm disappointed in you, Sebastian."_ Chêne said gravely, staring the butler right in the eye. They all stared at Chêne, stunned. Sebastian looked like he had turned to stone in his shock. Ciel sweat dropped. He had never heard Chêne give Sebastian such harsh criticism before... it had been a fatal blow. "Go ahead and tell him what you think, Soma. I'm so unnerved by... _'this'_... that I can't even think of anything to say at the moment!" Chêne said, shaking her head in disappointment.

"A-All right..." Soma said, sweat dropping. He felt a little sorry for Sebastian after seeing his reaction to Chêne's rejection. "First, the flavor is weak, and it has no aroma. Not to mention it's gritty, so the texture is rough on the tongue. This doesn't count as curry." Soma said cautiously.

"I agree completely, Soma." Chêne said. She turned to Sebastian. "To be honest, if I had not been expecting 'curry,' I probably wouldn't have had as much of a problem with this dish, but even then, the texture is annoying. It reminds me of the time Tyler Rousseau dared me to eat dirt." Ciel and Sebastian sweat dropped as the others stared at her in disbelief. They had heard that story from Lacey when they were in her world... if Chêne had backed out of that dare, then she would have had to kiss this 'Tyler.' He probably thought that Chêne would choose to kiss him, rather than eat dirt, so Chêne went a head and ate a spoonful of dirt, just to spite him for using such a despicable trap. Apparently a girl's first kiss was extremely important, and Chêne didn't want to have hers that way...

"How odd. Even after I used the best curry powder available... Hmm." Sebastian said thoughtfully. A vein mark throbbed on Chêne's forehead.

'Uh-oh...' They all thought. Chêne had just snapped for some reason...

"Did you just say '_curry powder'_?" Chêne demanded darkly as she slammed her hand on the table. "_I cannot believe you!_ We're supposed to be entering a culinary contest, aren't we_!_? Did you seriously think using a premixed powder was acceptable? If curry powder was an acceptable ingredient for making amazing curry, do you think my family would have no recipe? Anyone can make a 'pseudo curry' using curry powder! No self-respecting chef would use it." Chêne said sternly, fuming. "Forget about defeating the 'god of curry'—at the moment, you aren't even close to being able to compete with Mr. Raja, either."

"My, my, Miss Maid really has no mercy when it comes to the culinary arts~!" Lau said, smiling. He hadn't expected to see such an interesting reaction.

"Why can't you ever be this serious about the other work I give you...?" Ciel asked her, sweat dropping. Good food was a major part of the culture in New Orleans, and it was in Chêne's blood to take cooking and eating very seriously. One of her grandfathers had been a professional chef, after all, and her family was friends with another family who owned a famous restaurant...

"My apologies. You are quite right. I should have known better." Sebastian said, smiling wryly. He had been properly chastised. He had been initially shocked, since he had gotten so used to Chêne's usual sparkling and radiant reaction of being overjoyed, and immensely pleased with whatever he fed her, but he could see her point now. It was a valid argument, and she wasn't the type to criticize someone to this point unless she really thought they deserved it.

"?" Soma said, wondering why Chêne was so worked up. "Curry powder? What is that?" he asked a little nervously. Was it something bad?

"In the current era, curry, which Anglo-Indians brought back to their homeland upon their return, has taken a firm root in British cuisine, but since the blending of spices is difficult for the amateur, the spices are ground up and blended together, and sold as prepackaged curry powder." Chêne explained.

"I've never seen anything like that in India, and Agni didn't use it either. At least as far as I know..." Soma said.

"Yes, that's probably because spices determine the color and heat of curry, but what is most important is their flavor." Chêne said, nodding. "When they aren't freshly ground, their aroma evaporates."

"Yes, at my palace, I have ≤masalchi≥ dedicated to that task alone." Soma said, nodding in agreement and understanding.

"That's why your 'curry' is so weak." Chêne said. "The prepackage curry powder lost most of its flavor already, and when packaged together like that, the individual flavors become indistinguishable from one another... It's like the flowers at that florist's we went to one time when Ciel needed flowers for an event—the one that has that new special 'refrigerator.' The flowers last longer, and look nice, but because they were all in one confined space for so long, they absorbed the scents from the other flowers, and lost their own individual perfumes." Chêne hoped that comparison would help Sebastian understand better. His sense of 'taste' for human food might suck, but his sense of smell was unparalleled.

"So in other words, using something like curry powder, in which the spices have been ground up prior to being packaged and sold, really is completely out of the question." Sebastian said seriously. This was much more involved than he had originally thought it would be.

"Yes, and depending on what he put into it, the soup of Agni's curry would look and taste different. I think he chose and blended the spices to complement the ingredients." Soma added.

"Yes, I noticed that Mister Agni used shellfish in his curry before, but I think chicken was an excellent choice, since we plan on winning." Chêne said, smiling at Sebastian. "We will need to be able to reproduce this dish for many different types of customers, and chicken is something anyone can eat with worrying about allergies, or if the meat is 'in season,' like you would with seafood. It will also make our curry more affordable, and with the right spices, chicken can be very elegant and gourmet." Sebastian smiled. At least he had gotten something right...

"Then, we must first track down fresh spices of the best quality." Sebastian said.

"In that, West has the advantage. His company controls the distribution, so he can secure the best bunch for himself." Ciel said.

"I fear we are running short on time. Let us find ourselves some traders..." Sebastian said thoughtfully, trailing off when he remembered who was in the room with him. That's right. _Lau was a branch manager of a trading company._

"..." They all said as they stared pointedly at Lau, who was peacefully eating Sebastian's failed curry.

"Hm~?" Lau said innocently, wondering why they were all staring so pointedly at him. Even if they couldn't use it for the contest, it was still delicious... Was it so strange that he was eating something delicious...?

=†=†=†=†=

{Two days later...}

"Amazing~_!_!" Soma said, in complete awe of all the bushels and sacks of spices Lau had gathered and had shipped to the townhouse for them. "I've seen all of these back home in my country!" Soma said, impressed, as he began examining a few bags of spices that were already opened while Sebastian, Chêne, Bard, and Finni (pretty much all of the servants with a reasonable amount of upper arm strength) moved the large sacks inside.

"_Wooow~!_! _So this stuff aaaaall goes into curry, huh!_?" Finni asked, amazed as he stared at all the sacks piled up around them, effortlessly carrying five of the huge sacks over his shoulder.

"Yes... but not all at once, Finni." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she picked up one sack and hoisted it over her shoulder. She could probably handle another one, but since Bard seemed to be struggling to lift just one of the heavy sacks, she figured that would be too suspiciously strong for a short teenage girl... even Sebastian was only taking two at a time, since he seemed to be actually making an effort to appear human today.

"Don'tcha dare drop 'em now!" Bard warned Finni, sweating nervously as he gripped a sack. Sebastian would kill them if they screwed this up...!

"Each one has a beguiling perfume. These spices are indeed the finest money can buy." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he too examined the spices in the open bags, scooping some up in his hand, and inhaling the fragrant aroma. He could see what Chêne had been trying to say about the curry powder's scent now. The aroma of the pre-ground spices and the fresh spices were as different as day and night.

"To have me collect this all in the span of a day... what a slave driver you are, Lord Earl~! Spices are outside my area of expertise, you know." Lau said, smiling wryly, as he sighed. "Oh, the trouble I had to go through to get these~!"

"Hmph! I suppose even you have your uses in time like these." Ciel said, smirking. He knew there was a reason why he tolerated Lau...

"Well, having the Funtom Corporation owe me one is hardly a bad thing." Lau said, smiling.

"And you ordered everything in bulk, so we have enough to make lots of different curries without worrying about running out before the contest." Chêne said, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "I can't wait to try Sebastian's curry now~! It's been so long since I've had good curry~!"

"Then without further delay, let us prepare a curry with these." Sebastian said as he dropped the spices in his hand back into the bag, and stood up. "Prince Soma. As only you know the taste of Mister Agni's godly curry... may I depend on your guidance, in addition to Chêne's of course, as to flavor and so forth?" He requested politely.

"That's fine with me, but... can you, an Englishman, manage to use all these spices?" Soma asked skeptically, sweat dropping. _"Ah!"_ He gasped, realizing he has just sassed Sebastian again. "No, I mean... I'm not making fun of you_!_!" Soma said nervously as he quickly hid behind Ciel and Chêne, causing them to sweat drop. "Just... it must be hard since you're not used to them..."

"I am much obliged by your concern." Sebastian said, smirking slightly. How amusing. "I think I shall need some time, but let us go about this steadily and see where it takes us." Sebastian placed a hand over his chest as he tilted his head slightly to the side and flashed them all a brilliant shit-eating grin. _"I beg your patience until the curry is complete."_

"Will he really be okay?" Soma asked Ciel and Chêne, sweat dropping. Where did he get all that confidence from? "I'm worried..."

"Probably." Chêne said, smiling confidently. "Sebastian might not have a 'right hand of god,' but he's not your average butler either.

"We'll have to wait and see." Ciel said as he yawned really big. "Maybe this calls for an afternoon nap." His internal clock had been completely messed after he lost a whole night of sleep.

"Just don't sleep too long, or you won't be able to fall asleep later tonight, when you need to." Chêne warned Ciel as she followed after him. She decided to take care of some of Sebastian's chores for him while he was cooking, since Ciel had strictly said not to help him with the curry, other than taste testing. She found that a little strange, but she didn't doubt that Sebastian would manage to come up with something without her help, so whatever.


	77. That Butler, Cogitating2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Cogitating 2<strong>_

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><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_We'll have to wait and see." Ciel said as he yawned really big. "Maybe this calls for an afternoon nap." His internal clock had been completely messed after he lost a whole night of sleep._

"_Just don't sleep too long, or you won't be able to fall asleep later tonight, when you need to." Chêne warned Ciel as she followed after him. She decided to take care of some of Sebastian's chores for him while he was cooking, since Ciel had strictly said not to help him with the curry, other than taste testing. She found that a little strange, but she didn't doubt that Sebastian would manage to come up with something without her help, so whatever._

* * *

><p>"My apologies for having kept you waiting." Sebastian said as he came into the sitting room, where Ciel, Lau, an Soma had been playing cards while waiting, ready to serve them his first attempt at making curry with the proper fresh spices. "I present you with a curry of tender chicken stewed with spices and the savor of onions. I topped it off simply with some coriander and yogurt." Soma stared at Sebastian, stunned. An idiot hair popped out on his head.<p>

"Lau, I win with that card." Ciel deadpanned, pointing at the card Lau had just discarded.

"Ehhh, I've been haaad~!" Lau said, smiling wryly.

"I'm tired of Old Maid." Ciel said boredly. This made his eighth win in a row, now.

"Then shall we play Old Man~?" Lau joked.

"_You're already done!_?" Soma asked, shocked. How was that even possible_!_? Wasn't Ciel's khansama a novice_!_? And why were the others so calm about this incredible feat...?_ "It's only been about two hours since you began—"_

"Yes, it unfortunately took me _a full two hours._" Sebastian said, sighing regretfully. "Please forgive me for forcing you to wait for so long." He said apologetically as he served them his curry. "I see Chêne is not here yet..." Sebastian said, glancing at the door briefly, before pulling up a fourth chair to the table.

"Yes, I believe she is still taking care of her daily chores..." Ciel said, trailing off as Chêne waltzed into the room. He sweat dropped. Sebastian must have 'called' her...

"Ooh, that smells great~! That was fast, as expected." Chêne said, smiling brightly as she sat down at her place, and Sebastian pushed her chair in for her. The butler smirked. He was certain Chêne would enjoy his curry this time. Her reaction was already much more favorable, and she had only smelled it.

"And this aroma, it's... almost like Agni's curry." Soma said, closing his eyes as he inhaled the savory aroma. _"How in the world... and in such a short time..."_ Soma asked, amazed.

"It was simple." Sebastian said, smirking. "_I__ just__ sampled all of the spices._" Sebastian said, giving Soma his trademark shit-eating grin.

"_Each and everyone of them!_? _The whole lot?"_ Soma asked incredulously, turning blue with shock. _Was Ciel's khansama really human!_?

"Yes." Sebastian said bluntly, still smiling. "To return to the point at hand, I then blended the spices to match the fragrance of the curry Mister Agni cooked for breakfast the other day as closely as possible." He explained.

"And that was all it took to recreate the aroma?" Soma asked, amazed.

"My sense of smell is a _tad_ better than that of _most humans_." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he lightly tapped his nose.

"Come, come, your highness. 'It is better to get down to work than to worry about it,' as they say. Why not have a bite first?" Lau said, smiling.

"Y-Yes, all right." Soma said as he sat back down in his chair.

"Time to eat~!" Chêne said excitedly.

"Let's get staaarted~!" Lau said, smiling as he picked up his spoon. "This aroma is very different from the last. The spices present an extraordinary bouquet." He said as they all took a bite. "My, this is... _delicious!_!" Lau exclaimed excitedly. The flavor of the freshly ground spices whets your appetite, and... the stewed Chicken is so tender, it practically melts in your mouth." He praised. Chêne was still sampling the new curry, which was a good sign, because the more she ate and the more she savored each bite, the more it meant that she liked it. It meant that this curry was at least worthy of actually being judged by her.

"How is it?" Sebastian asked Chêne. She smiled brightly at him, positively glowing.

"Delicious~! This is similar to Mr. Raja's ≤Murgi'r Kari≥, his brown chicken curry." It's nice and light, but still packed with flavor... However, it still isn't better than Mr. Raja's yellow curry... Although, now that I think about it..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. "... Yellow curry is actually originally a type of Thai curry, and it could just be that I like it because there's coconut cream as well as coconut milk, and a few dairy products, like milk and yogurt, added in... They don't really use dairy products in curry that much in Bengali cuisine..." Chêne said, smiling a little apologetically. Ciel wanted to face palm. In other words, the curry Chêne had praised so highly, wasn't even Indian...? This was an _Indian curry_ contest!

"..." Sebastian said, staring at her for a moment. Chêne shifted guiltily in her chair, looking rather like a nervous kitten. The demon butler sighed indulgently, and he smiled wryly as he patted her on the head. Well, at least she really did know what they needed to win, even if she had admitted that it wasn't her true preference... She had been the first one to tell them they needed fresh spices, and which ones were known to be used in Indian curry... Soma had barely even been able to name five, since he had never really had anything to do personally with preparing the curry.

"...!" Chêne said, flinching in shock at how he was treating her, like an adult indulging a silly child. Was _that_ how he saw her..._!_?

"Prince Soma, what do you think?" Sebastian asked calmly as he continued to pat Chêne on the head, and she stuffed her face with curry, using it as comfort food. Ciel sweat dropped. He could totally see the whole pet relationship/thing Sebastian had mentioned before, now...

"This won't do." Soma said regretfully, shaking his head. "The aroma is well and good, but... the taste is a whole other story."

"Is that so...? Then let us try a spice blend that has a similar aroma but will create a different taste." Sebastian said thoughtfully. Soma clenched his fist in frustration.

"If only there was even one thing I knew about the way Agni prepares his curry..." Soma said regretfully with an air of defeat around him. "But I, utterly ignorant as I am... cannot do anything for you, no matter how much I should like. And once again, here I am, having to depend on you lot_. Someone like me should just—"_ Soma stopped when he felt some one place a hand gently on his shoulder, just as Agni used to... It was Sebastian.

"Please do not berate yourself so. There are yet things that only Prince Soma can do." Sebastian said, giving Soma a brilliant shit-eating grin. He was smiling so blindingly bright, that Chêne actually had to shield her eyes from the intense glare. Chêne sweat dropped. She knew from personal experience, that the brighter his shit-eating grin, the more harassment that the person it was directed at was about to suffer...

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Downstairs, the kitchen}

Soma stared at the scene before him, eyes wide with shock, as he paled, and an idiot hair popped out on his head. There were at least thirty pots of different curries already sitting on the kitchen table, all lined up, and ready to go.

"_Here, I made a selection of curries that have a similar aroma but differ in flavor. Please sample and choose the one that tastes most like Mister Agni's curry."_ Sebastian said, smiling brightly, as though he hadn't just asked the impossible. Finni, Bard, and Mei-Rin were grinning excitedly. Chêne had told them she had a special job for them, and if it was to eat yummy curry, then who were they to refuse?

"_You made them all!_?" Soma yelled incredulously, shocked beyond belief. "_By yourself!_?"

"Yes." Sebastian said, smiling. There were little sparkles floating around him. "I am the butler of the Phantomhive family. Wherever would we be if I was unable to manage something as simple as this?" Sebastian said, smirking, as he dipped a ladle in the first pot and smoothly poured one serving onto a plate. Chêne fought to suppress her blush. Why did he have to look so sexy even when he was just serving curry? He_ had_ to be doing it on purpose...

"B-But... I don't think I can eat all of this by myself..." Soma said hesitantly.

"Prince Soma. Your cooperation is necessary so that we may create a divine curry as soon as possible." Sebastian said, seriously with a gleam in his eye as he loomed over Soma, holding the plate of curry right under the prince's nose.

"Urgh..." Soma groaned warily as he eyed the plate of curry. It smelled good, but he had just finished eating the last one a few minutes ago...

"What, you're not going to give up now, are you? Don't worry about eating _the whole thing_, just be sure to focus on tasting it so we can save Agni and Mina. Mei-Rin, Bard, Finni, and I will take care of the rest." Chêne said, smiling supportively as she clapped Soma on the back. Soma clenched his fist. That's right... he still had to help Agni and Mina!

"V-Very well_!_! I shall eat as much curry as necessary if my eating curry is of use to you_!_!" Soma said, determined to beat West and save his friends with the help of a few new ones.

"We can make it like a contest. Whoever eats the most curry, will win some of my homemade jelly doughnuts for breakfast tomorrow!" Chêne told the others, smiling brightly.

"Yaaay~! We'll have some tooooo~!" The three stooges cheered excitedly. They got to spend the day eating Sebastian's cooking, and then they got doughnuts the next morning_!_? It was like a Christmas miracle!

=†=†=†=†=

{Curry #2}

"First we have the curry from before... with salt, turmeric, and coriander added." Sebastian said as he handed the plate to Soma, and Chêne and the others helped themselves.

"The taste is too heavy, and it's too spicy hot." Soma said, sticking his tongue out in an attempt to cool it.

"I actually like the spiciness... But it might help if you reduced the acidity and went a little lighter on the turmeric..." Chêne suggested. "Although we're trying to imitate Agni's Indian curry at the moment, in the end, the judges will be British, and so will most of our targeted audience, so it might help if you keep that in mind as well..."

"Hmm... I see your point." Sebastian said as he stared at the others. Mei-Rin and Bard were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, desperately trying to find water, but Finni looked perfectly happy, and thought the curry was yummy.

=†=†=†=†=

{Curry #3}

"The next candidate... boasts a mildness thanks to the addition of coconut milk and yogurt." Sebastian told them, handing servings to Soma and Chêne, while the others helped themselves again.

"It tastes better, but the aroma isn't even close." Soma said, sweat dropping.

"Yes, if the aroma were more sweet and savory, this would definitely be a winner, in my opinion... maybe I just really like coconut... I think that's the flavor I'm tasting the most in this one..." Chêne said thoughtfully. The others were eating quietly this time, and seemed to be enjoying the flavor of the more mild curry greatly. Mei-Rin was getting full, however...

=†=†=†=†=

{Curry #4}

"Next up, we have... a spicy curry of cumin and cinnamon." Sebastian said.

"Now I feel like... it's not hot enough." Soma said, grimacing as he burped, and held a hand over his aching chest. Eating so much was starting to get to him...

"Yes, the flavor is nice, but there's no heat. Curry without spiciness is like a cat without fur..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she smiled wryly. Unlike Soma, she was still perfectly fine.

"..." Sebastian and Soma said as they stared at her. What kind of analogy was that...? A cat with no fur... what an appalling thing to imagine...

THUMP.

"Thump?" Chêne said, blinking, as the three of them turned to look at the other servants. Finni was smiling happily as he ate, Bard wasn't looking much better than Soma, and Mei-Rin... Mei-Rin had just passed out from over eating.

"I guess that eliminates Mei-Rin from our little contest..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

=†=†=†=†=

{Curry #5}

"My apologies for the wait. I have prepared this with red pepper and cloves to taste." Sebastian said as he gave then the next curry.

"The flavor is too much... and heavy..." Soma groaned as he covered his mouth, just one piece of chicken away from hurling. He had been stuffed with curry to maximum capacity, and Bard had also reached his limit, and joined Mei-Rin on the floor. Finni was still smiling happily, not at all bothered by the ridiculous amount of food they were being forced to eat... but he wasn't the only one...

"Hmmm... this has a nice amount of heat, and it isn't too spicy, but... My mouth feels overwhelmed by the flavor. It's like being in a room with someone wearing too much perfume... too much of a good thing. You know?" Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. Like Finni, Chêne didn't look the slightest bit uncomfortable, even after eating such a huge amount of curry.

"H-How can you stand to eat so much...?" Soma asked her gloomily as he collapsed in hi chair, leaning his head against the table.

"I have a fast metabolism~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly. "No matter how much I eat, I never gain any weight, fufu~!" She said seriously with a gleam in her eye. Her mom had always warned her that once she reached a certain age, and their 'anti-aging gene' kicked in (which seemed to be around the age of twenty, and from then on, the women on her mother's side of the family always seemed to look only about half their age...), that her metabolism would slow down, but now that she was going to have the body of a teenager forever, that was no longer an issue. Soma sweat dropped as he stared at her incredulously. _What was this girl!_?

"_Uggh... I'm full up to my gills with curry..."_ Soma moaned miserably. He felt like he was about to explode... at least that should've been that last of it...

"_Come, the next curry awaits."_ Sebastian said mercilessly, flashing them a sparkling shit-eating grin. Soma turned blue with shock, grimacing, as an idiot hair stuck out on his head. Chêne sweat dropped. Sebastian had just completely ignored Soma's suffering, and he did it with a smile...

"I added cardamom and garlic." Sebastian informed them as he placed their servings in front of them. Soma immediately perked up when he caught the scent of this new curry, completely forgetting his painfully full stomach as he shot out of his chair in his excitement.

"_Th-This curry is... different from all the others I've had to day..."_ Soma said urgently.

"?" Sebastian said, slightly curious about the prince's extreme reaction. He and Chêne watched as Soma tentatively reached forward, and picked a piece of chicken out of the curry and tasted it. His eyes went wide in awe.

'_This is—!_!' Soma thought, amazed, as the magnificent flavor of the curry brought forth an image of an ornate Indian palace full of dancing girls in brightly colored saris, and luxurious floor pillows scattered about. 'A familiar scene— this is my palace.' Soma thought, stunned. 'Then the ones beside me are—' Soma thought urgently, swiftly turning to his side. "Mina! Ag..." Soma cried when he thought he saw Mina sitting beside him, and Agni serving him Chai tea... but it had only been a phantom image, a vision induced by the nostalgic flavor of Sebastian's curry. The one sitting beside him was Chêne, and the one serving him and Chêne tea was Sebastian... They were not in his palace, and the people beside him were Ciel's faithful servants, not his.

"?" Sebastian and Chêne said, looking at him with confusion and concern. Why was he staring at them like that...? Did forcing him to eat so much curry break him? Meanwhile, Finni was happily eating the curry, without a care in the world.

"Prince... Soma...?" Chêne asked, concerned. Soma shook his head, snapping out of it. He leaned back in his chair.

"This... this curry... it tastes very much like the curry I used to always eat... like Agni's curry_!_!" Soma said.

"Really_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly as she took a bite too. She had been so surprised when Soma suddenly started staring off into space after he tasted it, that she hadn't even taken a bite yet. Chêne grinned when she tasted it, and turned to Sebastian, smiling with all the radiance of the sun. _"Awesome~!_! This is amazing, Sebastian~!" Chêne praised excitedly, like a kitten who had just gotten ahold of her favorite ball of yarn. Sebastian smiled.

"You did iiiit, Mister Sebastian~!" Finni cheered excitedly.

"That's our butler for ya!" Bard said, grinning as he slung an arm over Sebastian's shoulder, much to the butler's chagrined at having his personal space invaded. Hadn't Bard been lying unconscious on the floor only a moment ago...?

"Y'are wonderful, y'aaare~!" Mei-Rin said dreamily, also rejoining the land of the living.

"Still, to have to go to such great lengths to achieve the right blend of spices..." Sebastian said thoughtfully, holding his chin. No wonder Chêne's family had decided it was too troublesome... It would have undoubtedly taken a human much longer to accomplish such a task.

"Oh, dear, Finni... you really are a messy eater." Chêne said, smiling wryly and sweat dropping when she noticed that Finni had some curry sauce on his face. "Here, take this and wipe your mouth." She said, offering him a clean napkin.

"Thanks, Miss Chêne~!" Finni said brightly as he took the napkin and started wiping his face like a good boy.

"But it's still not right." Soma suddenly blurted out.

"Eh?" Chêne and the three stooges asked as they Sebastian stared at Soma, wondering what was wrong with it.

"Didn't you say this one was like Mister Agni's curry?" Chêne asked, confused.

"The taste, the aroma, the heat... are indeed the same as Agni's. However... _Something is still missing!"_ Soma said seriously, holding his chin as he tried to think of how to explain it properly.

"And that 'something'... would be?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at the prince. Since Chêne didn't seem to find anything wrong with it, he knew he was going to have rely completely on Soma for this one.

"Hrrrrrn... To answer your question... Hm, how should I put it?" Soma said thought fully as he crossed his arms and furrowed his brow, frowning slightly in concentration. "Maybe that the savoriness and flavor of Agni's curry are more profound..." He wasn't as good as Chêne at giving concrete descriptions of things like this... Soma glanced at Chêne. That gave him an idea... _"Yes, that's it! The body! This curry lacks body!"_ Soma blurted out excitedly, finally able to put his sense of taste into words.

"Body?" Sebastian asked as he stared disappointedly Soma. He leaned closer, looming over the prince.

"_Y-Yes."_ Soma said nervously, flinching and paling as Sebastian loomed over him threateningly (?).

"Why did you say that _after looking at_ _me?"_ Chêne asked, narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion. Soma glanced at her again, trying to ignore the source of his trauma.

"Well, I needed to use a metaphor to describe the taste, and it came to me that this curry is like Miss Chêne, who is older than me, yet still has a small and unfeminine body. Like Miss Chêne, this curry is 'a nice girl,' but it does not have curves, it lacks body..." Soma said bluntly, his words stabbing Chêne. The three stooges stared at Soma, shocked. They glanced at Chêne, who was trembling in her seat next to Soma.

"D-Don't let it get to ya, Chêne..." Bard said pityingly.

"Y-Yes! Miss Chêne is very lovely, is she not, Finni_!_?" Mei-Rin said anxiously, concerned for Chêne. It was a huge blow to any woman to hear such a thing!

"It's what's on the inside that counts, right~!" Finni said, smiling innocently. Bard and Mei-Rin stared at him. What Finni said wasn't wrong, but... that just made it sound like he was contradicting Mei-Rin's compliment...

_SNAP._

'Snap...?' The three stooges and Soma thought, glancing warily at Chêne, who was now emitting a dark and dangerous aura. _That had definitely been the sound of her self-restraint breaking...!_

"_I'll show you 'unfeminine'!_!" Chêne roared with righteous fury as she launched herself at Soma.

"—_!_?" Soma yelled in alarm, flinching, and squeezing his eyes shut as he held his arms up to shield himself... but the attack never came. Soma opened his eyes, and was surprised to see that Sebastian was holding Chêne, restraining her all by himself, despite the magnificent fight she was putting up.

"Lemme at 'em!" Chêne yelled as she glared at Soma. "No jury would convict me!"

"!" Soma said, flinching. For a moment, he could've sworn Chêne's eyes glowed.

"I understand how you must feel, but you must calm yourself. Your eyes are staring to glow..." Sebastian whispered sternly in her ear. Chêne's eyes widened slightly in shock, and she immediately stopped struggling, and took a deep, calming breath. It wouldn't do to expose her... inhumanness... Soma stared at Chêne, eyes wide with shock. That had been even worse than when she got upset with him before... Chêne was just as scary as Ciel's khansama when she got angry...

"You must forgive Chêne. She is rather sensitive when it comes to the subject of how mature she looks... I believe it would also be in your best interest to remember that women in general do not appreciate being talked about in such a way, and that there are just some things you should not say. It would also be best if you did not ogle a lady's figure so. _Understand?"_ Sebastian told Soma sternly, giving him a brilliant shit-eating grin. However... Soma and the others could not help but feel that behind that smile was a very thinly veiled threat...

"_Y-Y-Yes! I'm s-sorry!"_ Soma stuttered nervously, nodding vigorously, and turning blue with shock and fear. _Why was Ciel's khansama so angry!_? He realized now how what he said might have offended Chêne, but it had nothing to do with Sebastian...!

"Good. Now, you said more 'body'... Is that it?" Sebastian asked, reigning in his threatening aura, but keeping a grip on Chêne. Personally, he wouldn't mind seeing her give the prince a good whack, but Soma was still Ciel's guest, so they still had to respect him... to a certain extent, at least. 'The taste must be the same, but the body deeper? How vague... Giving themselves over to senses that are indescribably nonsensical and impossible to understand..." Sebastian thought, furrowing his brow slightly as he pondered the prince's words. At least Chêne had been able to express her feelings in a way he could understand most of the time. "—This is why creatures called humans are...'

"In a spot of trouble, are we?" Ciel asked, causing them to all turn to the kitchen doorway, where Ciel was standing, leaning casually on his walking stick with a hand on his hip. Lau was also there, standing behind the young earl, smiling in amusement. It looked like they had just walked in on something interesting. Ciel furrowed his brow slightly when he saw that Sebastian was holding Chêne... probably to restrain her from pummeling Soma for saying something he shouldn't have... not that he would've really minded. It's not like Chêne would have killed him. What really interested Ciel was that Sebastian had looked thoughtful about something before he interrupted, meaning they were probably still working on creating the perfect curry. "How goes it?" Ciel asked, smirking slightly.

"Young Master. The kitchen is no place for you..." Sebastian said, releasing Chêne somewhat reluctantly. For some reason, holding her gave him a strange, but comforting feeling... similar to the one he had when he held a cat after a very tiring and stressful day... but it wasn't quite the same...

"What's going on, Ciel? Do you need something?" Chêne asked as Ciel walked over to stand beside Finni and stuck his finger in Finni's curry.

"Three days till the curry fair, hm?" Ciel said, smirking as he licked his finger, tasting the curry. Do the best you can and keep at your research." Ciel said patronizing. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly and frowned a little bit at Ciel's snide remark. Chêne sweat dropped. Why was Ciel provoking a demon like that...? Was he that bored without them around? "Aah, yes, that reminds me. I would like Gateau au Chocolat for my afternoon snack." Ciel said as he turned to leave.

"Then I guess I'd better get starte—" Chêne said, smiling wryly. She had almost forgotten that Ciel would be wanting a snack soon...

"I want _Sebastian_ to make it." Ciel said, smiling, as he paused in the doorway, turning back to look at them. Chêne blinked, surprised. Why did it have to be Sebastian...? He was already busy with the curry... "Bring it to me later." Ciel ordered Sebastian.

"... Very good, Sir. " Sebastian said obediently, bowing to his young master. An order was an order.

"Hmph..." Ciel said, smirking deviously, before leaving them. Lau smiled and waved goodbye as he followed Ciel and closed the door behind them.

"..." Chêne said as she stared at the door. "I'm not sure what that was about, but... I think you're a bad influence on him..." Chêne told Sebastian, sweat dropping. Ciel seemed to be turning into a tiny sadist...

"I wonder..." Sebastian said, sighing in annoyance. He might as well get started...


	78. That Butler, Cogitating3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Cogitating 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I want Sebastian to make it." Ciel said, smiling, as he paused in the doorway, turning back to look at them. Chêne blinked, surprised. Why did it have to be Sebastian...? He was already busy with the curry... "Bring it to me later." Ciel ordered Sebastian._

"_... Very good, Sir. " Sebastian said obediently, bowing to his young master. An order was an order._

"_Hmph..." Ciel said, smirking deviously, before leaving them. Lau smiled and waved goodbye as he followed Ciel and closed the door behind them._

"_..." Chêne said as she stared at the door. "I'm not sure what that was about, but... I think you're a bad influence on him..." Chêne told Sebastian, sweat dropping. Ciel seemed to be turning into a tiny sadist..._

"_I wonder..." Sebastian said, sighing in annoyance. He might as well get started..._

* * *

><p>"—Dear, oh dear. You make it sound as though you want Master Butler to fail, Lord Earl." Lau said, smiling, as he followed Ciel through the hallway.<p>

"Heh! Hardly." Ciel said, smirking slightly to himself. "But... even more than obtaining the Royal Warrant... wouldn't seeing _that_ butler lose be just that much more fun?" Ciel asked, smiling charmingly, delighted with himself, as he glanced back at Lau. In Ciel's opinion, it was about time Sebastian had a taste of his own medicine. The demon always seemed to have the upper hand whenever he toyed with them, and he had noticed how Sebastian had been using Chêne's feelings for him to mess with her. It would be most amusing to see the demon butler being the one under pressure for once... Lau shrugged, smiling wryly at the young earl's behavior. He looked like a child who had just figured out how to play with a wonderful new toy.

"Why, my Lord, just look at you... you're positively glowiiiing~!" Lau said, laughing, and smiling in amusement. "You're such a bully~!"

"_Shut up."_ Ciel said sternly, chagrined.

=†=†=†=†=

CLINK. CLINK.

The whisk clinked when it hit the side of the metal bowl that Sebastian was currently using to mix the ingredients for the chocolate dessert in. Bard burped. He and the others were all sitting down, rubbing their sore bellies... except for Finni and Chêne, who both seemed to be just fine.

"Well, it looks like Finni is the winner, so I'll be making you some jelly doughnuts tomorrow, 'kay?" Chêne said, smiling at Finni.

'Yaaaay~!" Finni cheered excitedly, clearly looking forward to his prize.

"Aghhhh! Don't even _mention_ food to me right now..." Bard groaned. "Man, I ate like a pig. _I'm stuffed."_ Bard slowly stood up, scratching his head. "Maybe I oughta go do some exercises for the digestion or somethin'." Bard thought out loud, stretching a little.

"I'll go out too~! Into the garden~!" Finni said excitedly, jumping out of his chair. "Come with me, your highness~! Miss Chêne should come too~!"

"Mmhmm. Lead the way." Soma said. A little light exercise to help settle the stomach sounded like a good idea.

"I think I'll just stay here and make the tea to go with Ciel's snack... He didn't say anything about who had to make the tea." Chêne said, smiling as she stretched, arching her back a little, like a feline. She didn't know what Ciel was plotting, but she would want help if it was her stuck slaving over a hot stove all day...

"I have to get back to the laundry, I do!" Mei-Rin said.

"Eh? I thought you already finished it..." Chêne said. "Do you need help?" Chêne offered. Tea wouldn't take that long, so she should have plenty of time to do both. Sebastian listened quietly as they all began to talk about ideas of escaping while Sebastian was occupied... _as if he would let that happen._

"Everyone." Sebastian said calmly, getting their attention. They all stopped and turned to look back at the busy butler. "_The next curry will be ready momentarily."_ Sebastian said darkly, smiling a scary shit-eating grin that did absolutely nothing to hide the black aura behind the fuming butler.

"!" Chêne said, paling slightly when she realized how pissed off he was.

"_I... I can't fit anymore in my belly, I just can't!"_ Soma, Bard, and Mei-Rin screamed, turning blue with shock and horror, as they and Finni all hid behind Chêne.

"_Eeeehh!_? _W-Why am I the one being used as a human shield!_? _You traitors!_!" Chêne shouted, sweating nervously as they all held her in place, preventing Chêne from darting to safety, as the demon butler drew closer to them. Sebastian's hand suddenly shot out at her.

"_Kyaaah!"_ Chêne cried, startled, when Sebastian yanked her free from the others' death grips, and loomed menacingly over them. Chêne blinked in confusion when she realized that Sebastian had separated her from the others, and pushed her behind him—and not giving her whatever frightening face he was showing to the others, that had them trembling in fear... _weird_—not that she was really complaining!

"_You have ten minutes to digest whatever you have left in there." _Sebastian said darkly. His threatening tone of voice didn't leave any room for arguments.

'_EEEHHHHHHHHHH!_?' They all cried internally, turning completely white with shock. They wanted to protest, and tell Sebastian how impossible that was, but they were all too paralyzed with fear to move...

"..." Chêne said, sweat dropping as she stared pityingly at them. Well, then again... that was their karma for trying to use her as a shield. Sebastian turned back around, and looked at her, tilting his head slightly to the side. Chêne braced herself, wondering what he was going to do to her after saving her for last...

"What are you doing?" Sebastian asked her, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. "Were you not going to prepare the Young Master's tea?" Chêne blinked, giving him a stunned blank stare, before she remembered what they had been talking about before Sebastian snapped.

"Ah! Yes, what kind should I make...?" Chêne asked, laughing nervously as she sweat dropped and smiled wryly, rubbing the back of her neck. Sebastian smiled and pet her on the head as he passed her on his way back to where he had set down the cake batter.

"Good Kitten." The demon butler said softly, just barely loud enough for Chêne alone to hear, and smirked.

"?" Chêne said, raising an eyebrow as she stared after him, confused, too shocked by the cute nickname he had just given her to react properly.

=†=†=†=†=

{One Gateau au Chocolate for Ciel and several more curries later, then dinner for Ciel and Lau and another several curries later...}

"Hoh! Hoh!" Mister Tanaka said happily as he ate some of Sebastian's latest curry. It was incredibly delicious, but like all the ones before it, it did not have the 'body' it would need in order to defeat Agni's curry... at least, that's what Soma had managed to mumble before he passed out from being over-stuffed with food to his maximum capacity. He, Bard, and Mei-Rin were all lying on the floor, _dead_... Well, not really... but Chêne could've sworn she saw their souls starting to leave them at some point... Mei-Rin had even started writing a 'dying message' on the floor using some of the curry sauce before she lost consciousness. Finni wasn't quite as bad off as them, but he was also lying on the floor, too stuffed to move. He blushed slightly as he burped.

"Haah. What could be missing from this curry?" Sebastian wondered, sighing, as he stared down at his last pot of curry. Now that all of his taste testers had eaten themselves to the verge of death (with the exception of Chêne, thanks to her fast metabolism), Sebastian had no choice but to wait until they had recovered somewhat before he could try another recipe. He could always have just Tanaka and Chêne continue testing the curries for him, but since Chêne had actually been helpful to him and helped lighten his workload earlier by volunteering herself to make the tea, and Mister Tanaka was an elderly man whose stomach would probably be better off not trying to digest too many spicy foods... Sebastian decided to give them a break, for now.

'Thanks to the day's experiments, I now understand how to blend spices to achieve color, heat, and flavor.' Sebastian thought. 'Furthermore, I have grasped that fruits lend to sweetness and lightness, yogurt to acidity, and dairy products to mildness of taste. But despite all that, the 'deepness' of Mister Agni's curry remains something separate altogether...' Sebastian looked back at the kitchen counter, suddenly realizing how messy he had let it get while he was rushing around to make the curries the day. "This will never do. Before I can get started on the preparations for tomorrow morning, I have this much washing-up to see to." Sebastian said, running a hand through his hair. "Chêne, would you mind..." Sebastian trailed off when he saw that Chêne had fallen into a little catnap from being so full, and she had a silly smile on her face as she dreamed. Sebastian smiled wryly. She really was like a kitten, so whimsical... though, it made sense that her behavior was slightly feline since she had been influenced by one for six years, ever since her birth by her family's pet cat, Jasper I. It's been said that a human's personality is formed and set firmly in place at a young age, after all. "I guess it can't be helped." Sebastian said, readjusting his gloves as he turned back to the kitchen sink, and began washing the dishes on his own.

'The problem lies with 'body'... without destroying the intricate blend of the many spices... it must take the curry to new heights of taste—_Does such an ingredient even exist—'_ Sebastian wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard Chêne mumbled something incoherent in her sleep. Sebastian glanced curiously at her, wondering what she was dreaming about this time. Chêne sometimes had the most amusing and strange dreams, and Sebastian knew this because he would catch bits of her sleep talking occasionally when he woke her up in the mornings... One dream had been about something to do with a 'water park' run by penguins, but the polar bears kept trying to force her to ice skate instead... In another one, Chêne had apparently been dreaming that she had won a lifetime supply of chocolate, and had been mumbling how rich and creamy and full the chocolate's flavor had been...

'_!_?' Sebastian thought as whipped his head around to stare at the mixing bowl he had used to make Ciel's Gateau au Chocolat in. _"This is—"_ Sebastian said, his eyes widening in realization. The demon butler smirked and glanced back at Chêne. "My, My... cats really are lucky, after all..." Sebastian said softly as he smiled at the sleeping girl. Though he hadn't said as much before, Soma had been quite wrong when he compared Chêne to an underdeveloped curry. Anyone that took the time to_ really look_ at Chêne, would know that she was more than just the silly and carefree girl she appeared to be. Chêne had wisdom beyond her years, and her body was by no means 'unfeminine.' Chêne had a proper hourglass figure, and a healthy breast-size. It would be much more obvious if Chêne were not so petite, but that suited Sebastian just fine. The demon butler smiled as he stroked Chêne's silky, soft brunette hair. It was fine if he was the only one who knew his little kitten's true charms... that way no one would try to take his little pet away from him.

=†=†=†=†=

{The next morning, in the Phantomhive dinning room...}

"—What was that_!_?" Chêne asked Sebastian, stunned. Did she hear that right?

"You've created a divine curry_!_? In just one night, you've found a way to give it that kind of body_!_?" Soma yelled in disbelief, shocked. Ciel perked up when he heard that, but he didn't look too pleased, in fact... Chêne was sure that he looked rather put out that Sebastian had succeeded.

"?" Chêne said, wondering what was up with the young earl. She had figured that Ciel was purposefully messing with Sebastian, but wasn't it good that they could win the Royal Warrant now...?

"Just in my own way, but... Yes." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he removed the cloche and uncovered the plates of curry so he could serve them. "Please, have a taste."

'It looks the same as yesterday.' Soma thought skeptically as he reached out and picked up a piece of chicken. 'Can this really be anything like Agni's curry of the gods?' He wondered as he placed the chicken in his mouth. Soma froze when he was overcome by a miraculous explosion of flavor, and another vision came to him. _'This is—' _Soma thought, surprised to suddenly find himself inside a grand ballroom full of couples dancing the waltz. The men were wearing handsome suits, and the women were all in lovely pastel bustle gowns. 'This isn't my palace. Why, this is Great Britain.' Soma thought. 'But I wonder why, somehow... I feel at home.' Soma's eyes widened in surprise at the couple that passed by him. '_!_?' He thought. 'An English lady and an Indian fellow... are dancing together happily. I see. This curry does not simply copy Agni's curry... this is Indian curry with a particularly British ingenuity (sensibility?) thrown in.' He watched as an English violinist played a duet with an Indian drummer. Soma smiled peacefully as he watched them, feeling enlightened, as he was surrounded by a warm and gentle light. 'The two don't clash... but instead, melt together tenderly.'

"What do you think?" Sebastian asked Soma, snapping him out of the curry induced vision.

"This isn't Agni's... divine curry." Soma said humbly. "But the complex savoriness created by the spices in Indian curry remains the same... while flavoring that only an English man could devise brings out a whole new kind of body in the dish. _This curry is worthy of being called divine in its own right. It was delicious, ≤Khansama≥."_ Soma said, smiling. Ciel and Lau were stunned. Soma... the incredibly hard to please Soma, had just praised Sebastian's curry to such an extent...! Chêne just sighed in relief and smiled.

"Congratulations, Sebastian. It looks like it's 'mission complete'." Chêne said, smiling brightly, as she took a bite of her curry too.

"But how did you manage to get it right in the span of an evening...?" Soma asked curiously. It was simply amazing that such a feat could be accomplished...

"Oh, pick me~!" Chêne said, smiling blissfully after tasting Sebastian's curry. Her happy aura was so strong, that there seemed to be sparkles and white roses blooming around her. "I think I know what it was~!" She said, grinning happily. Ciel sweat dropped. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Chêne was high... Why was she acting like a little girl in school...? Sebastian smiled wryly.

"Very well." Sebastian said, petting her on the head. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but Chêne was in too good of a mood to care. "What is the secret ingredient, Chêne?"

"The delicious treat you're hiding in your tailcoat~!" Chêne cried cheerfully, throwing her hands in the air victoriously, as Sebastian pulled a bar of chocolate out from under his jacket.

"Correct. With this." Sebastian said, smirking, as he held up one of Funtom's chocolate bars. "Th–That is—" Ciel, said, startled. Even without reading the label, he would know that irritating cat in a crown logo design that Chêne had made for his company's chocolate bars anywhere!

"_Chocolate!_?" Everyone but Chêne (Who was happily eating her chocolate infused curry) yelled incredulously. Ciel sweat dropped. No wonder Chêne was acting so giddy... _that chocoholic_.

"The cacao of which chocolate is comprised was originally used as a spice due to its uniquely aromatic and savory flavor. Along with cacao, fats and oils, milk, and sugar are masterfully blended to create chocolate, which in turn contributes a rich body to the curry." Sebastian explained. "Moreover, Funtom's chocolate, being top quality as it is, contains the purest cacao. One would be hard pressed to find something better than this chocolate to make the ultimate curry, I daresay." Sebastian said, smirking as he handed Chêne the chocolate bar. Chêne took the chocolate bar, and held it as though it were extremely precious to her, smiling happily. She was like a cat that had just been given catnip. "I realized this as I was cleaning up from making the Young Master's requested Gateau au Chocolat. Thus you ended up assisting me." Sebastian told Ciel, smirking, knowing that doing so would serve to irritate Ciel even further.

"Tch!" Ciel said, clicking his tongue in irritation as he scowled, clearly disappointed. He had hoped he would at least get to see Sebastian struggle a little.

"Amazing, Ciel! Your ≤khansama≥ has caught up to divine curry in just one week!" Soma said excitedly, oblivious to Ciel's disappointment. "Maybe he can win against Agni—"

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, with West and Agni...}

"—Agni." West called, and Agni entered his Study. "Agni. All done, hm?" He asked, smirking.

"Yes... It's perfect." Agni said as he removed the silver cloche that was covering the curry, revealing a plate of divine curry with a vibrant color, rich aroma, and a beautiful blue lobster. "This will be my curry."

"Bengal's specialty is seafood. Likewise, your specialty's shellfish curry." West said. He smirked deviously. "But this time, we're not using any old prawns. _We're using that noble woman!"_ West pulled some papers out of his desk and started flipping through them. He winked at Agni. "And thanks to you, all my rivals have withdrawn from the competition. The other participants are unheard of third-rate brands and a toy company popular with children." West said smugly as he tossed the papers on his desk.

"_!_?"Agni said. There was something familiar about that... He picked up the paper and read the company's name. "_!_!" He said, shocked. '_Funtom Corporation._ Perhaps my prince is—_!_?' Agni thought nervously, wondering if there was still hope.

"Nn? What's with that face? Don't you worry. No one can beat us." West said confidently.

'_My prince...!_!' Agni thought anxiously, gritting his teeth in frustration at the situation they had all ended up in.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at the Phantomhive Townhouse...}

"I hate to break it to you, but this won't be enough to beat them." Ciel said, raining on their little parade. Soma stared at Ciel, stunned. Why was he saying such a thing...?

"Ah... I was so excited that I almost forgot 'catching up' and 'winning' are two completely different things." Chêne said as she furrowed her brow slightly in disappointment. However, she noticed that Sebastian was just calmly staring back at Ciel, not looking the slightest bit upset or surprised.

"You've only just gotten to where you can compete equally with Agni and his curry of the gods. Right, Sebastian?" Ciel asked calmly as he propped his head up on one of his hands.

"Just so, Sir. That is _currently_ where I stand." Sebastian said calmly. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as the demon butler suppressed a smirk.

"That face... have an ace up your sleeve, do you, Master Butler?" Lau asked, grinning.

"Indeed." Sebastian said, smiling his customary shit-eating grin.

"Great! What is it?" Chêne asked curiously, feeling relieved to know Sebastian had a plan. Sebastian smirked as he glanced at her.

"Although I would much rather wait until later to reveal my 'ace' as Mister Lau put it, I will admit that it was you who gave me the idea, Chêne." Sebastian said, flashing them all a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Huh? When? I don't even remember seeing you this morning... except when you woke me up, when you kicked me out of the kitchen after I made Finni some jelly doughnuts, and just now when you brought out the curry..." Chêne said, confused.

"That's already quite a bit, if you ask me." Ciel deadpanned at her, before turning to Sebastian. "You'd better not be lying, you know." Ciel told his butler as he picked up his spoon.

"Of course. I have never told a lie." Sebastian said, smirking. "I shall obtain the Royal Warrant for Funtom Corporation. I stake my title as butler to the Phantomhive household upon it!" Sebastian said confidently.


	79. That Butler, Competition

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competition<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_That's already quite a bit, if you ask me." Ciel deadpanned at her, before turning to Sebastian. "You'd better not be lying, you know." Ciel told his butler as he picked up his spoon._

"_Of course. I have never told a lie." Sebastian said, smirking. "I shall obtain the Royal Warrant for Funtom Corporation. I stake my title as butler to the Phantomhive household upon it!" Sebastian said confidently._

* * *

><p>"Wh-What can I do to help?" Soma asked, hoping he wouldn't have to suffer too much...<p>

"Nothing." Sebastian said bluntly, causing soma to stare at him blankly, stunned, as an idiot hair popped out on the prince's head. Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Just when Soma was finally making an effort to be useful... "Now that I have successfully created a 'divine' curry of my own, I will no longer need Prince Soma's assistance, however... I would appreciate Chêne's continued assistance as my taste tester, as she is the one who gave me the idea in the first place." Sebastian said, giving her and Ciel a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"Like I said... when did I give you this brilliant idea?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. "I mean, I'll help, but _what_ am I helping you with...?"

"I don't care what you do with Chêne—you can boil her, fry her, or bake her—just be sure that _you_ are the one doing all of the cooking." Ciel said. An idiot hair popped out on Chêne's head as she gaped at Ciel, shocked.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian said, smirking, as he bowed. "Come along, Chêne." Sebastian said, pulling the poor maid out of her chair before had a chance to recover from her shock.

"I-Is she going to be all right...?" Soma asked, sweat dropping. He wondered if he should start making preparations for the poor girl's funeral...

"My, the Earl really is such a bully~!" Lau said, smiling like a Cheshire cat. It's not like Chêne meant to spoil the boys fun by accidentally inspiring Sebastian...

"_Shut up._ She'll be fine." Ciel said, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. "... I think." Chêne had been in shock for quite some time now, she should have reacted by no—

"_What the heck do you mean by 'you don't care what he does to me'!_?" They suddenly heard Chêne shout incredulously at the top of her lungs from down the hall in a super delayed reaction to Ciel's words. _"Are you trying to get me killed, Ciel! If you give him an inch, he'll take a mil—!_?" Chêne was suddenly cut off before she could finish her sentence.

"..." Ciel, Lau, and Soma said as the three of them sat in silence for a moment. _What on earth just happened to her...!_?

"... Anyone fancy a game of chess?" Ciel asked.

"I'm game~!" Lau said, smiling.

"_That's your reaction—!_?" Soma yelled incredulously. Sebastian had just silenced Chêne in such a suspicious way, and they were going to just pretend it didn't happen_!_?

=†=†=†=†=

{The day of the curry contest—at the Crystal Palace}

"Uwaaah~_!_!" Finni said excitedly as they walked through magnificent cast-iron and plate-glass building. Chêne smiled as she looked around. The Crystal Palace was beautiful, like a large, elegant green house. It had been built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, and was, at the moment, the largest amount of glass ever seen in a building. It astonished visitors with its clear walls and ceilings that didn't require interior lights, thus leading them to call it a 'Crystal Palace'. After the Great Exhibition, Victoria had it moved here, to its current location at Sydenham Hill. Chêne never would've thought she'd be able to see the real thing, since it had been destroyed by a fire in her world, but her she was... walking in _the _Crystal Palace with Ciel, Sebastian, Soma, and her other fellow servants. They were all gussied up in their casual clothes (except Sebastian, of course). Chêne was wearing the green dress and bonnet her mother had made her, and she was ready to have some fun and see some interesting exhibits from India!

"What is that great big creature~_!_?" Finni asked excitedly, pointing to the live elephant they had set up in a pen with an attendant to supervise its care and interaction with passersby.

"That's an Elephant, Finni." Chêne said, smiling as she watched the elephant balance a top hat on the tip of its trunk before tossing the hat back into the air so his handler could catch it, much to the amusement of the small audience that had gathered around its pen.

"Yes, it is a sacred animal." Soma said, happy to see such familiar sights. "We keep some at my palace too. About ten of them."

"Woooow..." Finni said, amazed.

"_That's crazy!_!" Bard shouted in disbelief, flinching in shock. _Just how big was this palace!_? "As pets_!_?"

"Do you really keep those huge things in your house, do you_!_?" Mei-Rin asked, also flinching in shock.

"Please do not wander off, you lot." Sebastian said, sighing boredly. It was like watching a group of children with incredibly short attention spans.

"What is that, what_!_?" Mei-Rin asked excitedly, pointing at a man who was playing some kind of musical instrument next to a snake.

"That's a snake charmer." Soma told her.

"Look, ya'll~! I just bought this great sari~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly as she held up the colorful cloth she had just snuck off to buy.

"..." Ciel and Sebastian said. This was right after he had just told them to stay put, too...

"Hi there, Lord Earl." Lau said from behind them. The three of them turned around to see Lau sitting on a bench with Ran-Mao in his lap, still just as scantily clad as before, despite being out in a public place. "The show is finally about to begin~!" Lau said, smiling innocently (?) as he waved at them.

"Well, aren't you bold, womanizing in front of your _client_, like that." Ciel said as he and Chêne sweat dropped, chagrined.

"Come, come~! Ran-Mao is my little sister! Just my little sister~!" Lau said, smiling as he poked her playfully on her cheek. "Though we're not related by blood." He mumbled. "She's adorable, isn't she~?" He asked.

"Since when do brothers hold their sisters in such suggestive positions?" Chêne deadpanned sarcastically. "Ran-Mao, Blink twice if you want me to slap him for you." She told Lau's 'sister', smiling brightly at her. Ran-Mao blinked once out of surprise. That's not how people usually reacted, especially women... They either pretended she wasn't there, leered at her, or made derogatory comments. They never said anything that nice to her before... though Ran-Mao didn't really need Chêne to hit Lau for her, so she didn't blink again. Chêne shrugged.

"Well, if you're okay with it, then I guess I'll let it go this time." Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped.

"Ahaha! It seems I've been spared~! I hear the spectators will get to sample the competing curries at the fair, and I was thinking I'd give this little one the chance to try some too!" Lau said, smiling.

"Right them." Ciel deadpanned, not buying it, as he turned away from Lau and Ran-Mao.

"Anyway, is the prince's butler lad really serious?" Lau asked as he stood up and followed them. Chêne glanced over at the others. Soma was busy explaining a diorama of India to the three stooges.

"He betrayed the master he regards as a god. What else would he be if not serious?" Ciel said solemnly.

"However... I think that West's promise to return the girl once the plan has been carried out is... nothing more than a blatant lie." Chêne said, closing her eyes as she frowned.

"Pretty much. Ciel agreed calmly. "The likely hood of West's evil deeds being exposed will increase significantly if he relinquishes his hold on Agni after all is said and done, sought after Royal Warrant in hand or not. If I were in his shoes, I'd..."

"Kill him?" Lau asked ominously.

"..." Chêne said as she stared at Lau, suddenly feeling like she never wanted to find herself alone with him in a dark alley. She slowed her pace a little, falling back next to Sebastian, who looked slightly amused by her reaction. She was like a kitten that had just sensed a threat and flattened her ears nervously as she hid from a bigger cat.

"Haaah... You can't go around killing people off one by one over such trivialities, you know." Ciel said, sighing wearily, and sweat dropping. Just how long was the list of bodies left behind by Lau...?

"Ehhh? If it were up to me, he'd be as good as dead." Lau said, smiling innocently (?).

"I suddenly feel like I've been living a lot more dangerously than I realized... threatening and even hitting someone who can say something like that with a smile..." Chêne said, sweat dropping.

"Hahaha... That aside..." Lau said, smiling and laughing lightly at Chêne's comment, as though it were no big deal. "... What really has me concerned is Master Butler's strategy for today." Sebastian hadn't told anyone but Chêne what his plan was, and Chêne hadn't told anyone because Sebastian had said he wanted it to be a 'surprise' for today.

"That's—" Sebastian started to say when he was rather rudely interrupted.

"Well, well~! Why, if it isn't Earl Phantomhive~!" West called out cheerfully when he spotted them.

"... Yes, hello... Mister West." Ciel said unenthusiastically. Chêne raised an eyebrow. Why was West purposefully going out of his way to greet them...? _Did he know?_

"It has been quite some time, my Lord! Not since last year's London season, I believe." West said jovially, seemingly oblivious to Ciel's lack of joy at his arrival. "I am most honored to make your acquaintance once more!"

"Yes, it has been quite a while, hasn't it? I do hope you have fixed that nasty habit of yours..." Chêne said, flashing him a shit-eating grin while Ciel glanced at Soma, checking to see that the prince was out of sight while Chêne distracted West. Soma had wrapped his scarf around his head, like a hood, and was stealthily (?) peeking out from behind a palm tree to watch them.

"M-Miss M-Maid_!_? You were here, as well...?" West asked nervously, paling slightly as he took a step back. Sebastian glanced at Chêne curiously. That must have been quite a glare she gave him last time if he was still this wary of her, even after a year... _well done._

"A-As usual, you're sporting a finely tailored coat, I see!" West said to Ciel nervously, avoiding Chêne's gaze, trying to change the subject. "Which brand might such a distinguished individual as an earl wear, if I may ask?"

"Well, you see, I leave my clothing to my butler and have less than a passing interest in brands, so..." Ciel said carelessly. He really could care less what brand a product was. It was the quality that mattered, not the name on its label.

"Come, come! Really now!" West said, laughing in disbelief. "Come to think of it, I've heard that your company is taking part in today's festivities as well?" He said, smirking.

"Yes... I am considering an expansion into foodstuffs at present." Ciel said calmly.

"I was terribly surprised to learn of your participation in the curry festival! Did you recruit yourself a skilled chef or something?" West asked.

"Is something... wrong, is it?" Mei-Rin asked Soma, concerned, as she approached the hiding prince, who was spying on West from afar.

"My company doesn't intend to lose either! We've hired a remarkable chef of our own." West bragged.

"Is that a fact..." Ciel said. Of course, they already knew all about Agni. Soma furrowed his brow slightly as he listened, hoping to hear more about how his khansama was doing.

"_Just between us, it would seem a spy from a rival company stole into my house the other day. My one-of-a-kind Galle lamp smashed to pieces! And my General Trading chest wrecked! The horror, I tell you!"_ West whispered urgently as he leaned closer to Ciel conspiratorially. West shivered as an image of Sebastian in the deer head flashed through his mind. "_Just remembering the incident gives me a fright!"_ West said, paling slightly as he hugged himself, sweating nervously. "I did at least manage to defend my secret curry, but... just knowing the culprit may be skulking around these fairgrounds chills me to the bone!" West said, grimacing.

"Ha ha ha..." Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne laughed monotonously, trying to keep the smirks off of their faces, knowing the culprit (Sebastian) was standing right there.

"That aside, I overheard that the queen will be in attendance today..." West said excitedly, fidgeting nervously.

"Who's to say...? Since Prince Albert's passing, Her Majesty hasn't appeared in public much." Ciel said.

"As I'll be taking that Royal Warrant, I really would like Her Majesty to taste my company's superior curry in front of the audience." West said matter-of-factly, sighing.

"..." Ciel said as he stared emotionlessly at West, and Chêne furrowed her brow slightly in irritation.

"Well, I'll be! I've nattered on for far too long! We shall talk later!" West said, excusing himself, as he checked his pocket watch, realizing that the competition was going to begin soon.

"'As I'll be taking the Royal Warrant'... eh?" Chêne said sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as they watched West walk away.

"He is utterly convinced of his victory." Sebastian said sardonically. As Soma and the others snuck back over to them, now that West was gone.

"When it comes to his sort, the real fun lies in seeing their faces as they taste defeat." Ciel said calmly, smirking slightly. Chêne sweat dropped.

"As you wish, Sir." Sebastian said, mirroring Ciel's expression.

"Although I'm really starting to worry about Ciel's personality... I agree this time. Give 'em hell, Sebastian!" Chêne cheered, grinning as she made a 'V' for victory sign with her hand.

"Then I shall make my way to the staging area for the festival participants." Sebastian said, smirking in amusement at Chêne's choice of words, as he made his way to the designated area.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

**I'm very sorry everyone, but due to some extremely personal problems and mental health issues, I won't be able to work on this story or update it until at the end of December, at the soonest... I'm extremely sorry for the inconvenience (v_v;)**


	80. That Butler, Competition2

**Author's note: Hello everyone, I'm finally back! Thank you so much for all your patience and understanding! It really touched me! (T^T) Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to update as quickly as I used to, but I'm finally ready to write again! (^_^) I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanza! **

* * *

><p>I own nothing but my OC.<p>

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competition 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_When it comes to his sort, the real fun lies in seeing their faces as they taste defeat." Ciel said calmly, smirking slightly. Chêne sweat dropped._

"_As you wish, Sir." Sebastian said, mirroring Ciel's expression._

"_Although I'm really starting to worry about Ciel's personality... I agree this time. Give 'em hell, Sebastian!" Chêne cheered, grinning as she made a 'V' for victory sign with her hand._

"_Then I shall make my way to the staging area for the festival participants." Sebastian said, smirking in amusement at Chêne's choice of words, as he made his way to the designated area._

* * *

><p>As Sebastian walked down the hall behind the stage, he came to a door with a sign that said '<em>Curry Festival'<em> on it, so it must be the place. Sebastian opened the door.

KACHAK.

Agni flinched in surprise when Sebastian entered the waiting room for the curry competition contestants.

"Mister Sebastian." Agni said, shocked to see the butler.

"It has been a while." Sebastian replied.

"What are you doing here...?" Agni asked nervously, confused, as he jumped up from the sofa he had been sitting on.

"I am here at my master's behest." Sebastian said calmly.

"_If Lord Ciel has ordered you to take such action with my prince's interests at heart, please withdraw now!"_ Agni pleaded anxiously. He _must_ win this competition, or Mina would...!

"Hah! My master? Doing this for Prince Soma, you say?" Sebastian asked cynically. Furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he raised one at Agni, as if to say 'you must be joking.' The very idea was laughable. "Your concern is unfounded, for my Lord puts his interests and those of his business before all else."

"I beg you. I do not wish to combat someone who has shown me every kindness!" Agni pleaded urgently, holding his head as he agonized over the situation, thinking Sebastian was just saying these things out of kindness. If only he and his prince had met Mister Sebastian and the others sooner...

"You have your reasons for participating in this fair, as do I." Sebastian said carelessly, not at all bothered by the situation. "That is all there is to it." He assured Agni.

"Forgive me, but I... cannot afford to lose...!" Agni said resolutely, clenching his fists in determination.

"How curious. That holds for me as well." Sebastian said coolly, smirking slightly. Things were getting interesting now...

=†=†=†=†=

{In the main part of the Crystal Palace, at the stage for the contest...}

"Now, ladies and gents! It's time for this 'Indian culture and it's prosperity in the British Empire' exhibition's main event—the Curry Festival!" The MC for the contest announced grandly as he unfurled a copy of one of the posters that had been used to advertise the event. "London's best curry houses will be taking part! And especially for today's event, you, dear audience, will have the chance to sample the competitors' curries! We hope you look forward to it~!" The crowd cheered excitedly, eager to participate in the free sampling.

"Now let's introduce our judges_!_!" The MC said enthusiastically as he turned to a table that had been set up in the rear, center stage as three men began to walk out onto the stage and take their seats at the table. "Chef Higham, a royal cook who does not compromise on taste." The MC said, introducing the first judge, who happened to be a man in a chef's uniform and hat. He was a rather stern-faced, bearded gentleman with grey hair.

"Mister Carter, who was appointed to the post of Taxation Official in India." The MC said, moving on to the next judge, who was a portly brunette man wearing small spectacles.

Chêne sweat dropped. Why was a government official judging food...? He looked like he enjoyed eating it, but... did he know anything about culinary techniques and such?

"And last, but not least—" The MC said dramatically as he gestured to the last judge. "...The Viscount of Druitt, a lover of art, beauty, and food."

Chêne and Ciel instinctively broke out in goosebumps from shock and horror when they saw the perverted viscount waltz onto the stage, and the audience (mainly the women) Exploded in to applause and cheered things like 'He's so fiiiiiine~!' and 'Kyaaaah~!'

"_!_?" Ciel and Chêne yelled incredulously as they turned blue with shock, sweating nervously. _Why had they thought standing so close to the stage was a good idea!_? What if he recognized them, and realized that Ciel had cross-dressed_!_? It wouldn't be that big of a deal for Chêne if she was discovered, but she really didn't want the viscount to try to hang all over her again... he didn't know that she had been the one who broke his nose, because he had already been mostly unconscious when she did it...

"Eh? Didn't the Yard take him away?" Lau asked, holding a hand up to shield his eyes to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light or something.

"Clearly, he must've bribed his way out. How rotten..." Ciel said, feeling chagrined and fed up with the Yard for letting such a creep back out into polite society. "I really don't want to be reminded of that day's events..." He muttered darkly.

"I second that emotion. You're preaching to the choir, Ciel..." Chêne said gloomily. "Any trust I had in the police to protect the citizens of London has been completely shattered, too... My bonnet hides most of my face, so you can borrow my sari to disguise yourself, if you want." She offered.

"No, that's quite all right..." Ciel said, sweat dropping, as he pulled the brim of his top hat down a bit more. Wearing something like that would just make him stand out even more... Chêne shrugged. His loss, then... she noticed that Ran-Mao was staring at the sari curiously.

"Do you want to try wearing it?" Chêne asked, smiling. Ran-Mao nodded. Chêne smiled at her. "Unfortunately, I don't know how to properly wrap a sari, but you can play around with it if you'd like." Chêne said as she handed the sari to her, and Ran-Mao began experimenting with different ways to wear it.

"My, My~! Isn't that nice? Be sure to thank Miss Maid~!" Lau told her, smiling cheerfully.

"Thanks." Ran-Mao said quietly.

"No problem." Chêne told her, smiling. Ran-Mao was a little strange, but she was a nice girl... It made Chêne wonder how she ended up with Lau...

"And here are today's participants!" The MC declared excitedly as Sebastian, Agni, and four other chefs stepped on stage, all lined up in a row, as the MC began introducing them. "Chef Turpin for Persian Tabb." He said, gesturing to a portly, blond man. "Chef Rush for Dormitory Vill." Rush was a dark-haired, sharp-faced man. "Chef Rickman for Dahlia Limited." Rickman was a bespectacled man with a narrow face and long bangs. "Chef Ripley for Worrest Cilin." Ripley was a freckle-faced, blond young man. "Chef Agni for Harold West." The MC said, pointing to Agni. "And Butler Sebastian for Funtom Corporation." Sebastian held back a smirk when the MC froze. _"... Wha... a butler?"_ The Mc asked, stunned. That couldn't be right... What was a butler doing in a cooking competition...?

"Yes. I am no chef." Sebastian said, smiling pleasantly. "I am simply one hell of a butler." He said smoothly. The audience began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Mummy! It's the Funtom company!" A child yelled excitedly.

"Did he say butler?" One woman asked.

"What's a maker of sweetmeats doing in a curry festival?" One man asked.

"I-In any case, we've got a unique cast of participants for you!" The MC said nervously, getting the program back on track. "Go ahead! Hold your breath in anticipation of the culinary delights to come! _Now let the cooking begin!_!" The competitors immediately took their places at their designated mini-kitchens that had been set up on the stage for them, and went to work, not wasting any time. The steady rhythm of chopping and ingredients sizzling in saucepans was like music to Chêne's ears. She was suddenly _starving_.

"Ooh... all that food smells sooo good~!" Chêne said, suppressing the urge to drool.

"Just stay still and watch." Ciel told her, sweat dropping. They hadn't even added any seasoning yet. Chêne must be really hungry if she was already drooling over raw ingredients...

"Well, we're stuck with nothing to do but sit back and wait, hmm—" Lau started to say when the crowd suddenly got excited.

"_Say! Look at that!"_ a man standing close to them shouted suddenly, pointing at Agni.

Agni quickly removed the bandages from his 'right had of god' and, without even looking, swiftly grabbed a precise amount of each of his spices and flung them into the pan with ninja-like reflexes.

"_Fast—!_!" Chêne yelled, eyes slightly wide with surprise. She knew Agni was capable of incredible speed from watching him fight, but to think that he could instinctively measure spices faster than the blink of an eye like that was just incredible! Agni had just earned a whole new level of respect from Chêne.

"That Indian's hand practically has a life of its own!" A man yelled in astonishment.

"And what a lovely aroma..." The woman beside him said dreamily.

—^—^—^—

"Ha!" West laughed, grinning smugly. He had this contest in the bag! "That's the right hand of god for you. This'll be like taking candy from a—" West shivered. What was this impressive aura he was suddenly feeling...? "_!_?" West said, shocked as he turned to see where it was coming from. He and the audience watched, amazed, as Sebastian quickly removed his coat, rolled up his sleeves, and swiftly selected several different spices with all the speed and agility of a true ninja, before tossing them in the pan like a boss, grinning confidently.

—^—^—^—

"_Baam!"_ Chêne said, imitating the famous Chef Emeril as she cheered for Sebastian, grinning impishly.

"Funtom's amazing too_!_!" A man yelled excitedly.

"And it smells just as great!" Another added as the whole crowd began to cheer enthusiastically for their favorite chef.

"Tch!" Ciel said, clicking his tongue in disappointment. "Alas, it doesn't seem as though he'll go down easily." Ciel muttered. Chêne stopped cheering and stared at the young earl, eyes wide with surprise.

"Eh...? You mean you really _do_ want him to lose_!_? Then why did we enter in the first place—_Do you know that I can't even look a chicken properly anymore after eating so much of it!_?" Chêne yelled incredulously.

"You say that like it's _my _problem..." Ciel said, sweat dropping. She should've just hid underneath his desk when she'd had enough, like she used to do when Sebastian was first learning to cook like a human...

"Ahahaha! You bully~!" Lau laughed, smiling in amusement. He never would've guessed that Chêne of all people would be scarred by food.

—^—^—^—

"Wha..." West said, sweating nervously. _'Why!_? _Why can that butler blend those spices!_?' West wondered incredulously. This was just _not _possible! _'No... but he's an Englishman. He can't win against Agni by simply observing and imitating...'_

"Hey! What in the blazes is he doing_!_?" A man yelled incredulously as he pointed at Sebastian.

"_!_?" West said, flinching in shock. _"He's putting something black in the curry pot! No, it can't be...! Is that chocolate!_?" West yelled, stunned, as they all watched Sebastian break pieces of chocolate off of a Funtom chocolate bar and drop them into the curry.

"Chocolate in curry_!_?" Another man yelled incredulously.

"I'm going to be sick..." A woman moaned miserably as she covered her mouth.

"What is going through that man's head?" Another woman asked, horrified.

"Mummyyyy~! I want to eat chocolate~!" the woman's son said excitedly, tugging on her sleeve.

"_Hahahaha! Leave it to Funtom, the candy king! What a novel method of advertisement!"_ West said, laughing boldly as he threw his head back.

—^—^—^—

"..." Ciel said as he calmly watched Sebastian continue to cook the curry, and Lau pulled gently on Ran-Mao's cheeks, stretching them out. Ran-Mao must have been too busy watching the contest to notice, because she didn't even react...

"Wow, these people don't seem to know very much about the spices used in their beloved curry, do they...?" Chêne said, sweat dropping.

—^—^—^—

"No... You are mistaken!" Agni said when he heard the protests of the crowd. He furrowed his brow slightly, looking a little nervous. 'That is indeed an acceptable seasoning. The blend of cacao, oils, and sugar teases out the aroma and bitterness, not to mention mellow body simultaneously. It would never occur to us Indians. It is something of which only an Englishman could conceive... Mister Sebastian... I have known since the moment we met... that you are no ordinary man.' Agni thought, impressed. '_However... I cannot lose either.'_ Agni thought as he pulled out a basket and grabbed his special ingredient. '_This is for the sake of my god!_!'

—^—^—^—

"Wh—What is that_!_?" A man shouted when Agni held up his special ingredient.

"A blue... lobster_!_?" Chêne said, stunned. She had never seen a _blue_ lobster before!

_CLATTER!_

"_Why, if that isn't... the blue noblewoman, le Homard Bleu!"_ Viscount Druitt exclaimed as he shot out of his chair in surprise. "Found in but one location in the world—the clear waters off the coast of Bretagne in France—It is a legendary lobster!"

Chêne sweat dropped. She felt like her IQ had just been lowered a few points... How did that idiot know about such a rare thing? Was he just acting dumb...?

"With a shell of brilliant blue that would make even the stained glass of Chartres envious, it cuts quite the figure... Indeed, just as a beautiful noblewoman in a blue gown of the finest making might!" The viscount said excitedly.

Chêne shuddered—wait, why had she shuddered? It was just a simple analogy... he could be talking about anyone...

"And the firm flesh beneath that lovely shell enchants people with a delicate sweetness that is much more extravagant than it looks." Viscount Druitt said dreamily, unconsciously cupping his hand in the air the _exact same_ way that he had when he groped her before. Ciel sweat dropped when Chêne started emitting a dark aura at the viscount's last comment... he had he feeling he knew why.

—^—^—^—

"There you have it! The rarest of rare ingredients and Agni's godly touch! And that, my friends, is how the best curry brand in Great Britain does things!" West boasted obnoxiously.

—^—^—^—

'I will do everything in my power to defeat you, Mister Sebastian!' Agni thought determined as he looked up to check his rival's progress. "_!_?" Agni said, flinching in surprise. 'Th-That is—_!_!' Sebastian was currently in the process of shaping round balls of dough and laying them out in neat rows in a large wooden tray.

—^—^—^—

"Damn!" Soma said, surprising Chêne, Ciel, and Lau as he suddenly appeared beside them. _"We've lost this battle."_

"_!_?" Ciel said, perking up when he heard that.

"What makes you say that?" Lau asked.

"And where have you been?" Chêne asked, raising an eyebrow at the prince. It's not like West had been anywhere near them since the start of the contest, so he didn't have to keep hiding...

"Certainly, the curry that Ciel's ≤khansama≥ made was the real thing." Soma said nervously, acting like he hadn't heard Chêne. "But the curry alone was perfect_!_! _The problem is with the naan._ It's not a staple in Bengal, so I don't know the details, but naan is made with a wheat or other flour that has been leavened... which is then baked quickly in a high temperature oven called a ≤tandoor≥." Soma explained.

—^—^—^—

'But this venue does not have such a large-scale oven... Genuine naan cannot be made here.' Agni thought as he watched Sebastian continue to shape buns out of the dough. 'Despite it all, Mister Sebastian is still just an Englishman. Learning the proper way to blend spices seems to have been the extent of his curry making talents. The problem lies not only with the naan. The curry is on too high a heat. If left that way, the precious stock will boil off, and the curry will be ruined.' Agni thought as he glanced at Sebastian's bubbling curry pot.

—^—^—^—

"He wasn't able to master the art of curry in just one week, after all." Soma said, distraught. "This match..."

—^—^—^—

'_... Is mine.'_ Agni thought regretfully as he raised his right hand and closed his eyes.

—^—^—^—

"Soma..." Chêne said softly as she gazed at the prince, raising her hand.

_KONK._

"You really need to learn to have a little more faith in people." Chêne scolded him as he gave him a light karate chop on the head.

"_!_?" Soma said, flinching in surprise. "What are yo—"

"Just be sure to pay attention and watch the battle of the butlers to the end! You might even learn something." Chêne told him, smiling.


	81. That Butler, Competition3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competition 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p>"<em>Time is up!<em> We will now begin the judging!" The MC announced, signaling for the contestants to stop cooking. "First up is Persian Tabb's beef curry."

"Please enjoy." Chef Turpin said confidently as he served the judges his curry. The judges began tasting the dish without hesitation.

"The cuts of beef have not only been stewed to buttery tenderness, they are generously sized as well it is indeed a sumptuous dish." Chef Higham said. "However the stock tastes flat and has no aroma, which tells me... you have used curry powder." The royal chef said, sighing. _"That a culinary professional would even consider using such a thing is reprehensible!"_ Higham scolded Turpin sternly, causing Turpin and two of the other chefs to turn blue with shock.

'Eh_!_? Uh-oh... we used it too...' Chef Rush and Chef Ripley thought. They were doomed now.

"From this, I'd say Dahlia blends its own spices, hm?" Viscount Druitt asked as he tasted the next curry. "But all I'm getting is heat, with no flavor anywhere to be found. Haah... I do however recognize your efforts..." He said, smiling wryly as he sighed, and Chef Rickman turned blue with shock at the viscount's diagnosis of his curry.

"Next, we have Chef Agni from Harold West!" The MC announced.

"This... is my curry." Agni said as he stepped forth, and he removed the silver cloche covering his curry, revealing an extravagant food platter that had a variety of curries in smaller bowls arranged on the large plate with the blue lobster as the centerpiece, accompanied by a little dome of rice. "A thali of homard... and seven curries." He said as he set it down before the judges.

"A whole homard bleu and a host of red, yellow, and green curries... What a vivid rainbow!" Chef Higham exclaimed, impressed. Agni definitely had full marks for presentation!

"I have prepared curries of differing heat and flavor so you have a selection from which to match your tastes. All the curries have been seasoned to pair with le homard bleu." Agni explained calmly.

"Seven authentic curries made by an Indian, with the shellfish centerpiece being that famed homard, hm..." Chef Higham said thoughtfully as he took a spoonful of one of the curries and some meat from the lobster. "Then without further ado..." The royal chef said as he tasted Agni's dish. "_Delicious!_!_ The flesh is firm and when chewed thoroughly fills the mouth with a nuanced sweetness."_ He said excitedly, blushing slightly out of surprise and pleasure at the sublime dish.

"And the sweet soup, the hot soup, the thin soup, the thick soup... they all harmonize with the savoriness of the lobster without killing it off!" Mister Carter praised, also blushing slightly.

"Ooh... Ooh..." Viscount Druitt moaned excitedly, blushing. Chêne sweat dropped as an idiot hair popped out on her head. It sounded like he was having an orgasm... _yuck_. The viscount suddenly struck a pose, similar to how a Shakespearean actor would when playing the part of a love-struck Romeo. "The beautiful woman I met at the ball..." Viscount Druitt proclaimed dramatically as he pictured Chêne in her blue dress and wig. "You, who possess a most noble beauty, are stood there with seven gems adorning your sublime form. A gold brooch in the shape of a dove... a bracelet of sapphires and pearls... a choker of garnet... a cameo medallion, and a ring of diamonds and emeralds on your finger. All of them enhance your loveliness. _You... have stolen my heart!_!" He cried passionately.

—^—^—^—

"You just threw it at me on your own! _I return your creepy serve with a deadly spike_." Chêne murmured, shuddering, and turning slightly blue with shock and revulsion. Ciel sweat dropped. The viscount really was a creep...

—^—^—^—

"Wonderful! This is the best curry I have ever tasted!" Viscount Druitt told Agni excitedly.

"I thank you, my lord." Agni said humbly as he bowed.

—^—^—^—

"Hmph!" West said smugly, smirking. He had no doubts that he would be leaving the fair today with his Royal Warrant.

—^—^—^—

"What say you_!_? Has the victor already been decided_!_?" The MC asked the crowd dramatically. However, Sebastian didn't look the slightest bit perturbed as he stood calmly on the stage, smiling politely as he held his dish. "Waiting in the wings is our final participant, Funtom Corporation!" The MC announced. Agni and the others watched as Sebastian calmly approached the judges' table.

"My curry, gentlemen." Sebastian said as he removed the silver cloche covering his dish and served the judges.

"Th... This is—!" Chef Higham exclaimed dramatically when he saw what was on their plates. It was a magnificent... _ball of raw dough..._

DIIIING~

Chêne could've sworn she heard a pin drop as all three of the judges stared blankly at Sebastian's... 'curry,' positively stunned.

"You there! What is this white thing_!_? _Are you trying to make a mockery of us!_?" Chef Higham demanded incredulously as he pointed an accusing finger at the butler. "Ah!" Higham said, flinching in shock, when Sebastian, instead of answering his question, used a set of tongs to pluck the ball of raw dough off of his and the other judges' plates, and the butler dropped them into a wok of boiling oil.

_SIZZLE~_

"_He... He's frying it!_?" The judges yelled incredulously, shocked.

—^—^—^—

"Ciel, what in Kali's name is your ≤khansama≥ doing_!_?" Soma shouted nervously, shocked. Not only was there no curry to be seen, but he was _frying_ balls of dough now_!_?

"Is he gonna make a doughnut or something_!_?" Bard yelled incredulously. No matter how he looked at it, Sebastian's 'curry' looked _way too much_ like Chêne's jelly doughnuts!

"Well, I can't deny that Sebastian's idea for this came from watching me make them for Finni..." Chêne said, sweat dropping. She considered explaining it to them for a moment, but she decided it might be better to let them be shocked by the secret of Sebastian's curry, since they were being such 'doubting Toms'

"..." Ciel said as he calmly watched the stage. Sebastian never did anything without a reason, and although he did not know what the demon had planned, he knew that Chêne, as his acting food critic, would never have approved of anything less than a winning dish... although, she did have some rather strange tastes... like her preference for mixing ketchup sauce with honey to use for herself whenever she made fish and chips...

—^—^—^—

"Now it is complete." Sebastian said as he removed the now freshly fried, soft and crispy golden-brown balls of dough from the wok, and set them back on their respective plates. "This is our company's curry." Sebastian said with the faintest hint of a smirk. The looks on the judges' faces were rather priceless.

"So I ask you, where is the cur—" Chef Higham started to demand irritably, vein mark throbbing on his forehead, when Viscount Druitt cut him off.

"_!_!" Viscount Druitt gasped in shocked realization as he stared at the fried dough. "Please, just a moment. This is—_!_!" He said urgently as he grabbed his knife and fork and carefully began cutting into the fried dough like a doctor performing surgery on a patient, sweating slightly from the tension.

_CRUNCH._

For a moment, it seemed as though a radiant light was shining forth from within the incision the viscount had made, and he stared at the fried dough, that he had just sliced in half, in awe as he used his knife to push the two halves apart, and a beautiful curry flowed out of the fried dough and onto his plate. _"What in the—!_?" The Viscount cried in astonishment. _"Curry is spilling out from within...!_!"

"_Wh—!"_ Agni yelled nervously, shocked.

—^—^—^—

"_What!_?" West shouted incredulously, sweating nervously.

—^—^—^—

"_!_!" Ciel said, surprised, but still managing to keep up his poker face. Chêne smirked.

—^—^—^—

"This is the curry we, Funtom, proudly present." Sebastian explained calmly as he held a plate with his curry on it. "Its name is..._ the Curry Bun!_!" He declared grandly, presenting the plate with a flourish.

"_Cu—Curry Bun!_?" The crowd cried in astonishment, stunned.

"Please enjoy." Sebastian said politely as he served the last curry bun, ignoring the shocked and skeptical murmurs from most of the adults in the crowd. However, he could hear the children chattering away excitedly, cheering on their favorite toymakers.

—^—^—^—

"What is that? I've never seen a curry of its like." Soma asked nervously, hoping they wouldn't be disqualified. Could something like that really be considered curry anymore...?

'I have though...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She had been surprised when Sebastian had told her about his 'Curry Bun' idea, because she was so used to seeing curry-pan in animes, that it hadn't even occurred to her that it would be considered something 'new' and 'exciting' in Victorian era England. Although she was a little concerned about how this might affect the timeline, Chêne had decided that it would probably be all right since Sebastian had just technically 'invented' it on his own without knowing anything. Besides, this world was her home now. She couldn't walk on eggshells here forever. Chêne would just have to live her life doing what she felt was right, and accept the consequences of her actions later... who knows, maybe she was _meant_ to come to this world all along...

—^—^—^—

"I—In any case, to the taste test..." Chef Higham said hesitantly as he too cut a piece from his curry bun, and tasted it. _"It explodes in the mouth!_" The royal chef shouted excitedly, blushing slightly as he panted a little. "This is delicious! The contrast between the crunchy exterior and the fluffy interior of the bread, not to mention the thick, robust curry finish... It is a most skillfully formulated study in textures." He exclaimed, sing Sebastian's praises. "The truly magnificent aspect of this dish is its structure. 'Sealing' the curry in the bread was a stroke of brilliance! The bread literally seals the curry's taste, aroma, everything about it, and blooms the instant one's knife cuts into it."

'_... Now I see!_!" Agni thought, shocked and alarmed by Sebastian's ingenuity. '_The reason for boiling down the curry was to keep it from seeping out of the bun during the preparation process—!_!' He had gravely underestimated Sebastian!

"Moreover, the chicken is toothsome and contributes nicely to the body of the curry, making for yet another plus to the dish. This is cookery at its finest." Chef Higham stated reverently.

"_Ooh... Ooh, I say...!"_ Viscount Druitt moaned in ectasy. "The sweet girl I met at an evening soiree. By day, you chirp childishly, a mischievous little songbird. But by night, your true self peeks out... The seductive smile beneath the mask, where a grown woman stands." He said dramatically as he envisioned Ciel, dressed in his pigtailed wig and pink muslin dress, peeking out from behind a tree on a moonlight night. "I... would... _like to put my arms around you!_!" He cried passionately as he wrapped his arms around himself, embracing the phantom image in his mind. He quickly recovered from his dream. "An original idea and unmistakable quality... This is a revolutionary curry worthy of the Funtom name_!_!" Viscount Druitt told Sebastian, as sparkles seemed to float in the air around the perverted man.

"I thank you, my lord." Sebastian said calmly, bowing politely, in thanks for such praise from the judges. For some reason, the viscounts description reminded him of Chêne... although, he was certain it had been referring to a certain someone else...

—^—^—^—

"Waah!" The audience cheered excitedly when they heard the judges' praise. Now that they knew how delicious it was (despite its strange appearance and ingredients), they couldn't wait to taste the new Funtom curry, or Agni's!

"Woohoo! Yeah! Way to go, Sebastian~!" Chêne cheered enthusiastically. She knew they had a winner!

Soma clenched his fist and grinned, excited at the thought of possibly having a chance to defeat West and save Agni and Mina. Ciel's khansama really was incredible! Finni, Mei-Rin, and Bard all cheered excitedly as they grinned and went in for a group hug. Their suffering from gorging themselves with Sebastian's curries hadn't been for nothing, after all!

"?" Ciel said, confused when he instinctively shuddered and paled slightly after hearing Viscount Druitt's little speech. He wasn't sure why he was reacting in such a way when there hadn't been any real indication that the viscount was referring to him... Chêne sweat dropped and smiled sympathetically as she patted him on the back in a 'there, there' motion, knowing full well how he felt.

"?" Lau said, curious about Ciel and Chêne's odd behavior.

—^—^—^—

"And now for the moment you've all been waiting for, ladies and gents... the curry tasting~! Please help yourself to whichever curry you like!" The MC announced cheerfully as hired waiters began arranging tables to display large quantities of the different curries the contestants had made, so the audience could have a taste.

"I think I'll try Agni's curry..." Chêne said thoughtfully.

"_Wha—!_? You traitor! Why wouldn't you eat Sebastian's curry_!_?" Bard demanded incredulously as he stared at her with accusing eyes.

"That's right, we need to support Mister Sebastian!" Finni and Mei-Rin chimed in.

"Ehhh, but I've already tasted it. I helped him perfect the Curry Bun as his taste-tester, remember?" Chêne said, pouting slightly. "Besides, Mister Agni was competing so seriously when he made his curry, so it'd be waste not to see what we're up against, right?" She said practically. "You should taste it too, Soma." She told the prince.

"Eh? But I..." Soma said nervously. Was it all right for him to taste Agni's curry when Ciel's khansama had worked so hard to defeat him...?

"He's an important person to you, right? Mister Agni created this curry with you in mind, don't you think you should taste it, and see what kind of curry his feelings for you made? Don't worry about us. You should support the people important to you." Chêne said, smiling reassuringly at him, as she pushed the prince over to the table with Agni's curry. There were already long lines forming in front of Sebastian and Agni's tables... not so much for the other chefs' tables though.

"Well, whatever Chêne says, I say we get Sebastian's Curry Bun! Follow me." Bard told Finni and Mei-Rin, grinning as he marched off to Sebastian's table, followed by the other two servants.

"Bring one Curry Bun back for me while you are at it." Ciel told them. He might as well try it, since it was supposed to be his company's product, after all.

"Which one do you want to try, Ran-Mao~?" Lau asked her, smiling.

—^—^—^—

"This is a most difficult decision to make." Viscount Druitt said thoughtfully as he and the other judges huddled together on the stage, trying to decide who would be brining home the trophy.

"Still, the winner is clearly Harold West's Chef Agni. The harmoniously balanced curries were touching divinity!" Mister Carter said.

"No, I say hats off to Funtom and Mister Sebastian for their ingenuity. It has irrevocably changed the history of curry." Chef Higham stated firmly.

"How to choose_!_? A beautiful lady... a pretty girl. Both have their own distinct flavors." The viscount said woefully. He could no sooner choose between the two, than he could pluck the moon from the night sky!

—^—^—^—

"So... how is it?" Chêne asked Soma as he tasted Agni's curry. "It's delicious, isn't it."

"Yes... Agni's curry is strong, yet kind and gentle." Soma said, smiling softly as tears started to form in his eyes. "... But it's somehow... lonely... and sad as well. If this is a reflection of Agni's feelings, then he must also be suffering... And it is my fault, because if I had not insisted upon coming to England, then..." Soma said solemnly.

"It's all right, Soma. As long as you understand at least that much, then everything will be all right. Everyone makes mistakes. You can't undo anything you've already done, but you can face up to it. To be able to move on, one has to learn to forgive not only the person or people who have done wrong, but also oneself. You can tell the truth, and you can seek forgiveness. Let God do the rest." Chêne said, smiling softly at him as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

=†=†=†=†=

{Some time later...}

"Thank you for your patience, ladies and gentlemen." The MC said, getting everyone's attention. "After much discussion... the winner of today's curry festival is..." He said, picking up the trophy. West smirked. Agni closed his eyes and prayed to Khali. Soma watched nervously, wondering what would happen once the winner was announced. Ciel and Chêne watched calmly as they waited. And Sebastian watched the MC silently with the eyes of a hawk. _"... Harold West and Funtom Corporation!"_ The MC Proclaimed dramatically as he raised the trophy in the air. _"We name them both victo—"_

_WHAAP—!_

Suddenly, something yanked the trophy out of the MC's hand.

"...Huh?" The MC said, surprised, as he stared at his now empty hand, and sweated nervously. The trophy twirled through the air as the whip wrapped around it was yanked back to the culprit.

WHAP!

The trophy flew into the black-gloved hand of the young man who had been controlling the whip.

"_A moment, if you please."_ The young man said politely, but firmly. The audience began to murmur amongst themselves. Who was this strange young lad? He couldn't be older than eighteen... Not only had he just used a whip to steal the trophy, but he was wearing the most peculiar eyeglasses... they looked like wraparound sunglasses with mirrored lenses. He was also wearing a white, double-breasted coat with a medal pinned to it, and his trousers were tucked into black and white knee-high length lace-up boots. He looked like he was ready for a steampunk convention to Chêne. A drop of sweat slid down Ciel's face as he, Chêne, Lau, and Ran-mao stared at the young man, slightly stunned. Up on the stage, Sebastian's eyes were slightly wide with surprise. If _that_ boy was here then... The sound of horse's hooves beating against the ground could be heard drawing closer as the boy continued to speak.

"This match... _BFFT!"_ The boy said, painfully interrupted, when a horse's hoof suddenly slammed into his head with a disturbingly loud whacking sound, trampling him underfoot.

_CLACK._

Black, leather lady's boots dug into the saddle's stirrups as the bold rider braced themselves and pulled back on the reins, bringing the galloping horse to a sudden stop, just like a boss. Everyone stared at the reckless rider, stunned... It was an elderly lady, riding sidesaddle, and dressed in a high-quality and modest, but fashionable widow's weeds... but what really stood out was that, like the boy, she was wearing wraparound sunglasses with mirrored lenses.

"Whozzat funky granny?" Bard asked curiously as the whole crowd sweat dropped and stared at the woman in shock and awe. The crowd began to murmur nervously about the wild rider.

"That is... If I'm not mistaken..." Lau said thoughtfully, slightly surprised when Ciel suddenly dashed towards the elderly lady.

"_Your Majesty! What are you doing in a place like this!_?" Ciel shouted anxiously as he rushed to her side. The queen glanced down at Ciel, surprised to see him so alarmed.

"_Maj—"_ Bard, Mei-Rin, Finni, and West shouted, jaws dropping as everyone in the audience, except for Chêne, Lau, Ran-Mao, and Finni (he just didn't get what was going on), turned blue with shock, beyond stunned to hear that it was none other than their queen who had just galloped into the Crystal Palace on a white horse, and trampled an innocent (?) man.

"Good day to you all." Queen Victoria said, giving everyone a radiant and kind smile as she gracefully pushed her sunglasses up, on top of her head so they could see her face properly.


	82. That Butler, Competition4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Competition 4<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Your Majesty! What are you doing in a place like this!_?_" Ciel shouted anxiously as he rushed to her side. The queen glanced down at Ciel, surprised to see him so alarmed._

"_Maj—" Bard, Mei-Rin, Finni, and West shouted, jaws dropping as everyone in the audience, except for Chêne, Lau, Ran-Mao, and Finni (he just didn't get what was going on), turned blue with shock, beyond stunned to hear that it was none other than their queen who had just galloped into the Crystal Palace on a white horse, and trampled an innocent (?) man._

"_Good day to you all." Queen Victoria said, giving everyone a radiant and kind smile as she gracefully pushed her sunglasses up, on top of her head so they could see her face properly._

* * *

><p>"<em>Her Majestyyyy!<em>?" Everyone cried in shock, immediately recognizing her, once they could see her whole face. The mighty cries of surprise and shock shook the entire Crystal Palace. Chêne smiled wryly as she sweat dropped. She'd know the queen anywhere—not just because she was a maid of the Queen's Watchdog—but also because Victoria really was a dead-ringer for her Grandma Willow, especially when she smiled like that...

[Victoria, Queen of Great Britain.  
>The ruler who has established the most illustrious era in British history.<br>Not only is she responsible for expanding through her political prowess Great Britain's international colonial reach, and to such an extent that it has been dubbed 'The country upon which the sun never sets'... She also sets the trends for everything from fashion to social functions and popular dances, and boasts the unconditional favor of her people.  
>She still deeply loves her late husband, Prince Albert.]<p>

Chêne wondered where the narration was coming from, until she glanced down at the ground... where the Indiana Jones wannabe was lying face down on the ground with one of Her Majesty's horse's hooves firmly planted on the back of his head. It was him...

"By the by, there are rumors that the titular character of the hugely popular programme 'The Wild Earl' is modeled after Her Majesty herself." The boy added weakly. Chêne sweat dropped. It was amazing he was still able to talk, much less _live_ after receiving such a powerful blow to the head.

"I beg your pardon, your Majesty... but I think you stepped on something—_or rather, someone."_ Chêne said awkwardly.

"Oh my, is that so?" Victoria asked innocently as she glanced down at the boy.

"Are you all right...?" Ciel asked him, sweat dropping.

"To get back to the matter at hand..." The strange boy said a little more steadily as he suddenly sat up, the horse's hoof still on his head, acting as though everything were perfectly fine. "... I believe Her Majesty has something to say." He stated calmly.

"Thank you, John." Victoria said, smiling as he helped her dismount. "This curry competition was capital. The aroma that filled this venue reminded me of the curry I once ate with dear Albert on the Isle of Wight..." She said wistfully as she opened a pocket watch and stared longingly at the photo of her deceased husband that she kept inside of it.

"_Alberrrrrrrt!_!" Victoria wailed mournfully as she suddenly collapsed onto the ground, holding her face as she cried. "_Would that I could have eaten this curry with you as wellllll!"_

"Your Majesty, please pull yourself together." John said as he knelt down beside her and pulled out a little Prince Albert hand puppet. Everyone was taken aback by their queen's eccentric behavior, and they all turned blue with shock as the sweated nervously and murmured amongst themselves. Ciel sweat dropped. Great, now everyone's image of Victoria as a regal and dignified queen had probably just been shattered beyond repair...

"Victoria, cheer up. It is I, Albert." John deadpanned in a stiff, wooden voice as he waved the puppet's arms. Chêne sweat dropped. Was he acting that bad on purpose...?

"_Alberrrt. You are here, aren't yoooou!_?" Victoria cried hopefully.

"The Queen is quite a character, hm?" Lau asked, smiling as he tried not to laugh inappropriately at the ruler of his host country.

"_Hold your tongue."_ Ciel said sternly as he sweat dropped. Poor Ciel looked like he had been drained of all of his energy just thinking about all the damage control that would need to be done to improve Victoria's reputation again... "This is why I implored her not to come here." He said dejectedly.

"Don't worry, Ciel. She'll grow out of it. I heard my Grandma Willow was like this when she was the queen's age, and her husband passed away, but she eventually grew out of it." Chêne said reassuringly. Ciel stared at her.

"Wait, just how old _is_ your grandmother? She looked like she was only a few years younger than the queen..." Ciel asked, bracing himself for a ridiculous answer, since he had already seen how 'gracefully' Pomona had aged.

"Hm... let's see... I think she just turned ninety-seven years-old." Chêne said thoughtfully as she tried to recall her grandmother's age. Ciel sweat dropped. That meant that Chêne's grandmother was nearly a century old, and she looked and acted like a much younger (at least compared to her real age) woman... _The women in Chêne's family were to be feared._

"Your Majesty, Prince Albert is always with you." John said as Victoria gently wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, and stood up again to address the public.

"I received an invitation to be a judge for today's event, so that would mean I too have a right to cast a vote, is that not so?" Victoria asked as she took the trophy from John and gracefully ascended up the stairs, and onto the stage with Sebastian and Agni. She paused briefly before them, glancing between the two men. Sebastian was standing before her calmly and stoically, but Agni's brow was furrowed slightly as he anxiously awaited her judgment, silently praying for victory. Although Victoria had not even tasted any of the curries, it was obvious to the queen who the winner of this contest should be just from looking.

"... The Funtom Corporation and its representative, the butler Sebastian." Victoria said, announcing the winner as she handed a slightly surprised Sebastian the trophy. "Yes, you, young man." She told him, smiling graciously.

"_Wha!_!_!_?" West shouted incredulously, unable to contain his shock and outrage. How could they loose to a ball of fried dough_!_?

"_!_!_!_" Agni gasped in shock and worry. If he lost, then Mina would...!

"B-But why, your Majesty_!_? In what way is our curry inferior to a curry-filled doughnut_!_?" West demanded as he rushed towards the stage. Chêne raised an eyebrow at that. West was quite the cheeky bastard to yell at the queen so rudely like that.

"See for yourself." Victoria said calmly as she pointed to the tables of curry where some members of the crowd were still eating.

"_!_?" West said, shocked when he saw what she meant. All of the children (and Finni) were happily munching away on Sebastian's Curry Bread with clean and delighted little smiles, while many of the children who had tried to eat Agni's curry were being scolded by distressed parents because they were not able to eat it without making a mess of themselves.

"Now do you understand?" Victoria asked him. "Funtom's curry, which does not require a knife and fork, is accessible to all... Indeed, so that even children may eat it easily, it is clearly a dish into which much forethought was placed. To be comfortable for everyone... the wealthy and the poor, the young and the old alike... that gentleness is necessary for Great Britain in preparation for the new century that approaches before our very eyes. I would like to acknowledge the spirit of the Funtom Corporation, which cherishes our children, our future." Victoria said, smiling softly. "Therefore... we declare the winner of this festival to be the Funtom Corporation!" She announced grandly, prompting applause and cheering from the crowd.

"I-It can't be..." West stuttered weakly as he fell to his knees, blue with shock.

"..." Agni said, distressed over what this could mean now that West had lost.

"Woohoo~!" Chêne cheered supportively and whistled at Sebastian as she jumped up and down so he could see her through the crowd, much to the demon's amusement.

"Way to go, Sebastian!" Bard shouted enthusiastically, accidentally blocking Chêne as he stepped forward to wave at the butler. Sebastian smiled a brilliant shit-eating grin at the chef, clearly chagrined. He would've preferred to see Chêne jump up and down like a kitten chasing a dangling piece of string a little longer...

"You are amazing, you aaare!" Mei-rin cheered, blushing slightly as she emitted little hearts, falling in love all over again.

"Young Master, here! Let's eat them together~!" Finni said happily as he brought Ciel a second helping of Sebastian's curry bun, even though he hadn't asked for it. Ciel noticed that all though Finni had been stuffing his face with curry buns nonstop, he only had a single crumb on his face.

'Now it makes sense. Sebastian got the idea for this bun... when he saw Finni eating before." Ciel thought, remembering how messy Finni had been when he had come in to check on their progress and harass Sebastian with his request for chocolate gateau. Finni wasn't very good at eating neatly with a knife and fork, but he wasn't that bad whenever Chêne made him finger food, like jelly doughnuts or chicken fingers...

"Congratulations, Chef Sebastian! A few words on your victory, if you please_!_!" The MC said excitedly, drawing Sebastian's attention away from watching Chêne's spaz.

"Heh!" Sebastian laughed softly, smirking slightly. "I am not a chef. I am merely... one hell of a butler." He replied smoothly.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Hi guys, I'm sooo sorry for making you wait so long for an update, but my Kuroshitsuji muse is apparently on strike right now, and I need to take another short break from this story... but I _will_ be back, so don't worry! I've already decided to finish this story all the way through to the end ^_^

I might start working on another fic while I'm recovering my muse for this one, but I'll keep working on both, I promise!


	83. That Butler, Victorious

**Author's note:** Wow! Sorry you had to wait so long for an update ya'll, but I'm finally back to working on this and my Inuyasha fic! Yay~! \(^0^)/  
>I hope you like it ^_^<p>

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Victorious<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"Congratulations, Chef Sebastian! A few words on your victory, if you please!" The MC said excitedly, drawing Sebastian's attention away from watching Chêne's spaz._

_"Heh!" Sebastian laughed softly, smirking slightly. "I am not a chef. I am merely... one hell of a butler." He replied smoothly._

* * *

><p>"I... lost..." Agni mumbled, shocked. He looked so stricken, like a man who'd just been given a death sentence.<p>

"Master Agni... is that right?" Queen Victoria asked as she turned to address the Indian man. "Your curry most certainly did not lose on the criteria of taste. It was a curry I should like to enjoy at leisure at my manor on the Isle of Wight." She said graciously, smiling kindly at him.

"I do not deserve... such kind words." Agni said regretfully, unable to look her in the eye.

He had failed... He had failed his prince, and now...

"_My plan... My Royal Warrant..."_ West mumbled numbly. Agni flinched, startled, when he saw what had become of West.

The man had turned blue with shock, and was stumbling around the room, wobbling back and forth, threatening to topple over with the faintest hint of a breeze...  
>Chêne tiptoed up to West and blew on him. Sebastian smirked slightly as West started to fall. He might be a bad influence on that girl after all... She'd been acting rather mischievous lately.<p>

"My Lord!" A woman cried out as she rushed forth from the crowd to support West.

"_!_!" Soma gasped, his eyes widening in shock when he saw the woman.

He'd recognize those silky black locks, glowing brown skin, and beautiful amber eyes anywhere—_It was her!_

"_Mina!_?" Soma yelled anxiously.

"Eh...?" Mina said, pausing as she turned to look at him, stunned.

"Ha!" Agni gasped in realization. _This...!_

"Prince... Soma...?" Mina asked hesitantly, as though she couldn't believe her eyes.

Sebastian, Chêne, Ciel, and Lau stared at her, with varying degrees of surprised looks on their faces, as Ran-Mao munched away on a curry bun. _So she had been there the whole time...!_?

"I've... finally found you..._!_! _Mina...!_!" Soma cried as he threw his arms around Mina, embracing her.

Sebastian glanced at Chêne when he heard sniffling. Somehow she had ended up right next to him on the stage without anyone noticing...

"... Are you... crying?" Sebastian asked her, raising an eyebrow. Was there something the matter with her?

"I-I just can't help it, okay! I'm weak against stuff like this—I always cry whenever Sarah gets reunited with her father in _The Little Princess,_ too!" Chêne said defensively as she patted her face with her handkerchief.

"I see..." Sebastian said, smiling wryly, as he sweat dropped and patted her on the head. Chêne could be so mercurial sometimes... just like a whimsical little kitten.

"I've been looking up and down and all over for you. I was so worried when you were taken away to Great Britain. At long last... I'm so glad I found you." Soma said as he held Mina close to him, causing the Indian maid to blush slightly. "You have nothing to worry about anymore. Let's go back to the palace together!" Soma said, smiling in relief now that he had Mina back safe and sound again.

"Prince...!" Mina said as she gazed up into his eyes. _"Are you an idiot?"_ She asked bluntly as her attitude suddenly changed completely, and she stared contemptuously at Soma as a vein throbbed on her forehead, her eyes full off disgust.

"Eh...?" Soma asked, shocked, as he stared back at his loving (?) wet-nurse. What was this...? This... This was _Mina_, wasn't it? Why was she looking at him with such hateful eyes? His sweet, beloved Mina...

"_Here you are, hunting me down all the way in England and making a fine nuisance of yourself. Who do you think you are!_?" Mina shouted, outraged, as she pulled away from Soma and moved closer to West again. _"'Let's go back together'? Don't make me laugh. Who in their right mind would want to go back to a place like that?"_

"Ah... Aah..." Agni said weakly as he collapsed onto his knees, horrified. How could she..._!_? After everything he'd done... Just what had he been fighting so desperately for, now that his worst fears had come to pass_!_? Everything had been in vain!

"..." Chêne said as she watched the tragedy unfolding before them, eyes slightly wide from shock. It couldn't be... Then Agni... Agni's real goal had been...! Chêne glanced between the Indian butler and his prince, her eyes full of sympathy and understanding.

"... You..." Sebastian said calmly as he looked down at Agni, coming to the same conclusion as Chêne. _"... wanted to keep this... a secret from your prince."_ He stated, glancing at Soma. The prince was just standing there, shell-shocked, too hurt and horrified by Mina's words to move.

"I didn't want to live my _entire life_ tied to the social position I was _born_ into." Mina continued to explain as she grit her teeth in frustration. "And then,_ finally,_ I got my ticket_ out of India!"_ Soma glanced hesitantly at West, who was still in his own little corner of woe, mumbling incoherently about losing 'his' Royal Warrant.

"So, you willingly came here with West..." Soma asked weakly, his eyes silently begging his beloved maid to deny it, hoping it was all some cruel joke, that Mina didn't really mean all these harsh things she was saying...

"That's right." Mina said bitterly, smiling cynically at the spoiled prince. "Life as a servant? Or life as a rich man's wife? Even a child knows which is better. And besides... _I've had more than enough of baby sitting a selfish brat like you!"_ Soma's eyes widened in shock as he stared numbly at the woman in front of him. It was true... Mina... Mina was really... She really meant everything she had just said... 

_This was really happening._

Ciel, Lau, Sebastian, and Chêne quietly watched the scene unfolding before them. Though they had helped Soma get this far and stopped West from winning, they knew this was something that the prince and his two servants had to confront and overcome on their own. The young earl, Chinese merchant/gangster, demon, and time-traveler were outsiders in this conversation, reduced to silent observers until a conclusion was reached among the three Indians, and they could all once again move forward, together, to take whatever actions would be required, whatever the outcome.

"Ugh... uu...!" Agni sobbed quietly from his position on the floor, clenching his fist. "...!"

_Drip. Drip._

Tears of blood fell on his bandaged right hand and the stage floor as Agni trembled, overcome with despair.

_'My Prince alone... My Prince, who sought Mina so desperately..._ _to him alone did I not this awful truth revealed...!_!' Agni cried out in his mind, his anguish written plainly on his face as the faithful khansama bowed his head in defeat, remembering how Mina had scorned him when he first found her with West, and how he pleaded for her to at least meet with Soma. She and West grinned wickedly as Mina suggested he do their bidding in return for keeping her real, hateful feelings a secret from the prince. Mina had always pretended to smile so innocently and affectionately at Soma... '_If he, with his pure heart, was to discover Mina's true nature... My Prince... My Prince would—!_!' Agni cried internally.

"—I see." Soma said simply, smiling sadly at Mina. "I'm sorry." He apologized sincerely. Agni froze, his eyes widening in shock when he heard his prince speak so calmly, his voice full of gentle understanding. "We were together all that time, but I didn't understand how you were feeling at all." Soma said regretfully, his eyes full of sorrow. "Forgive me for chasing you to Great Britain without stopping to think about the trouble I would be causing you. And also... I want to thank you for all you've for me till now." He told Mina, smiling softly at her. Ciel watched calmly as Soma silently passed his old maid by, finally letting her go, and began to climb the steps leading onto the stage. "I've always passed the blame onto other people." Soma admitted calmly. "My being alone in the palace was father and mother's fault. Mina going away was West's. But the reality was different." Sebastian and Chêne watched as Soma strode past them as well. There was no trace of hesitation in his steps. "I, who did nothing but complain whilst sponging off of my parents, was truly the one at fault. No one would love such a brat. However..." Soma said, coming to a stop once he had finally reached the person he had wanted to speak with most of all, _Agni._ "... However, you remained by this foolish prince's side... and you continued to do so, even after you'd left me. Forgive me for making you shoulder such heavy burdens all this time."

Agni's eyes widened in surprise as he raised his head to face his prince. H-He couldn't believe it... after everything he had done... _Why was his prince the one asking for forgiveness_..._!_?

"Won't you come back to my side and be my ≤khansama≥ again? Agni?" Soma asked hopefully, smiling self-depreciatingly, as he held his hand out to his faithful servant. Agni closed his eyes, and clear tears of joy and relief streamed down his face as he gasped Soma's hand in his own, as if he were his lifeline.

"≤Jo... Aagyaa≥..." Agni sobbed gratefully. It wasn't too late... His god had forgiven him! They could still go back to the way things used to be!

Chêne and Sebastian smiled as they watched their heartfelt reunion. It was about time!

Down in audience, their fellow servants grinned, glad to see that it had turned out to be a happy ending after all. Lau smiled calmly as well, and Ran-Mao finally finished munching on her curry bun.

"One way or another," The Queen spoke up, drawing Ciel's attention away from the stage, "everything seems to have been settled. Is that not wonderful... My Boy?" Victoria asked Ciel, smiling kindly at them all as her own faithful servant, John, stood calmly beside her.

'_My Boy...?'_ Lau, Ran-Mao, and the three stooges thought, positively stupefied. D... Did she really just call _Ciel_ by such a cute little nickname_!_?

"Sh-She means the Young Master..." Bard snickered as he, Mei-Rin, and Finni started to shake from trying to control their laughter.

"She's talking about _that_ earl..." Lau said, also shaking from trying to contain his laughter.

"_Pffft!"_ They all laughed, unable to hold back any longer. Chêne smiled wryly. Poor Ciel... She and Sebastian had reacted the same way the first time they heard Victoria's affectionate nickname for him, but they had at least managed to contain themselves...

"_Y-Your Majesty, I have implored you not to call me that—"_ Ciel sputtered nervously, blushing furiously out of embarrassment_. He was an Earl now, for crying out loud!_

"Oh, I say... Did you really now~?" Victoria asked innocently as she clapped her hands together and smiled so warmly, that flowers seemed to bloom in the air around her, like her smile was the very harbinger of spring itself. "But my boy, to me, you will always be my dear, lovely boy."

"_Your Majesty!"_ Ciel whisper-yelled indignantly, frantically trying to keep her from saying anymore. That had been the breaking point for the three stooges, and they burst out in a roar of laughter.

_Big mistake._

Ciel gave the three of them 'triple-decker icecream scoops' on their heads.

'That looks liked it hurts...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping, as she watched. The three stooges (even Bard) had comical tears streaming down their faces as they watched Ciel turn back to face the queen again, once they had been properly chastised for laughing at him.

"_Ahem!_ Your Majesty." Ciel said, blushing slightly as he cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "What brings you to a place such as this today?"

"I was on my way to attend Saint Sophia Academy's choir concert." Victoria explained pleasantly, kindly choosing to pretend she hadn't just seen Ciel's little altercation with his servants. "But then I was told that my boy's corporation will be participating in the curry festival, so I came to see you. We always simply _exchange letters _and do not get to see each other very often."

"... _One such as I..._" Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as he avoided her gaze and removed his hat. "... Should not be meeting with Your Majesty too often..." He said humbly as he clutched his top hat.

"Do not say that." Victoria chided him kindly as she leaned down closer to Ciel's height and gently cupped his face with one her gloved hands. "My boy is still little, but he is fulfilling his duties splendidly just as his father Vincent did before him." She said, smiling a little wryly at the small but capable boy before her.

"..." Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly as his queen placed her hand on top of his head. Chêne frowned slightly, concerned when she noticed the conflicted expression on the young earl's face. He looked troubled after being reminded of his father...

"Anyhow, much time has passed since I last came to the Crystal Palace. I feel like it was just yesterday that I attended the opening of the Great Exhibition with Albert..." Victoria said as she glanced around the place with a fond look of nostalgia. _"Alberrrrrt!_! _Would that I could have come here today with you toooo!_!" She cried dramatically as she suddenly fell to her knees, holding her face in her hands, as she remembered her beloved husband. In a flash, John was kneeling beside her, once again holding the Prince Albert puppet to cheer her up. Ciel sweat dropped. Not this again...

"She's kind of cute..." Chêne whispered softly behind her hand, smiling indulgently, like a parent humoring a silly but adorable child. Sebastian smiled a little wryly at her. Chêne was lucky he was the only one who had heard her speak of the Queen of England in such a manner. Even though she meant well, most people would probably take exception to their respected leader being referred to as 'cute'.

"Oh dear. I must be on my way..." Victoria said, sniffling as she used her silk handkerchief to dry her tears, like a proper lady, as she recovered from her little episode, and John readied her horse for her. "I shall have the Lord Chamberlain's office dispatch the Royal Warrant certificate to you. I look forward to enjoying the Curry Bun at the salon of Buckingham Palace." She told Ciel as John helped her onto her trusty steed again. "Thank you, John." Her horse neighed as Victoria pulled back on the reigns, turning her horse in the proper direction for her to ride off into the sunset, and she put her sunglasses back on. "Dear boy, do keep the _playing around_ to a minimum." She added meaningfully as her parting shot to Ciel before galloping off, causing the citizens in her path to part like the Red Sea. You have to admit, the queen had style.

"..." John said as he stood next to Ciel, both boys watching stoically as the queen left them in her dust.

"... Are you all right staying behind?" Ciel asked calmly, causing John to flinch in shock and realization.

"_Your Majesty, please wait!"_ John called after Victoria as he took off running, trying to catch up to the wild queen.

"She's still the same as ever..." Ciel said, sweat dropping as he watched them disappear from sight.

"Ciel!" Soma called out as he and Agni descended from the stage so they could rejoin the young earl. "Thank you for winning. You have my gratitude." Soma said humbly, truly grateful that he could be reunited with Agni again.

"I didn't do it for you. I did it for myself." Ciel stated coolly as he placed his top hat back on his head. "But... as a result, you babysitter has returned as well, so I suppose this is a case of killing two birds with one stone." Agni smiled bashfully as he scratched his nose shyly. There was no way he'd ever be able to repay these people for their kindness.

"Ciel... if I hadn't come to Great Britain... I might never have come to learn a number of truths. I would have stayed my narcissistic self, ignorant in the ways of the world. That is, if I hadn't met Ciel." Soma said seriously, his eyes glowing with resolve as he clenched his fist in determination, illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset that was streaming in through the glass walls of the Crystal Palace. "From now on, I'd like to see and learn about many things. And some day... I'll become a fine man, second to none! I'll show you!" He declared, grinning brightly, proud of his new resolution.


	84. That Butler, Victorious2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Victorious 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I didn't do it for you. I did it for myself." Ciel stated coolly as he placed his top hat back on his head. "But... as a result, you babysitter has returned as well, so I suppose this is a case of killing two birds with one stone." Agni smiled bashfully as he scratched his nose shyly. There was no way he'd ever be able to repay these people for their kindness._

"_Ciel... if I hadn't come to Great Britain... I might never have come to learn a number of truths. I would have stayed my narcissistic self, ignorant in the ways of the world. That is, if I hadn't met Ciel." Soma said seriously, his eyes glowing with resolve as he clenched his fist in determination, illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset that was streaming in through the glass wall of the Crystal Palace. "From now on, I'd like to see and learn about many things. And some day... I'll become a fine man, second to none! I'll show you!" He declared, grinning brightly, proud of his new resolution._

* * *

><p>"..." Ciel said as he stared solemnly at the Indian prince. "Anyone cane simply say the words." He deadpanned.<p>

"_I'll do it! Just you wait and see!_" Soma shouted indignantly.

"Yeah... sure, sure." Ciel said boredly, blatant disbelief written all over his face.

"Haha, glad to see you two are getting along well~!" Chêne teased as she hopped off the stage and landed next to the two younger boys.

"Who's getting along...?" Ciel muttered, slightly chagrined.

"My, My." Sebastian said, smirking slightly in amusement at Ciel's expense, as he too exited the stage and rejoined them, toting his shiny new trophy. "How lively."

"Mister Sebastian!" Finni and Mei-Rin cheered excitedly as they and Bard ran over. "Congratulations~!"

"_You did it!_! Today calls for a victory celebration_!_!" Bard declared jovially as they all swarmed Sebastian, and he swung an arm around the demon butler's shoulder, grinning. Honestly, Sebastian would've much preferred to have Chêne's slender arm around him, so he let the three stooges hold the trophy for a while to keep them occupied and out of his personal space for a bit.

"It's the... the trophyyyy_!_!" Finni cheered excitedly as he hoisted the gleaming object high above his head and started running around willy-nilly.

"Don't drop it!" Bard shouted as he and Mei-Rin ran after him to make sure Finni didn't so anything Sebastian would make them all regret later.

"Mister Sebastian." Agni said tentatively, getting his fellow butler's attention. Sebastian watched as Agni dropped to his knees before him humbly. "I do not know how to apologize to you for these circumstances..." Sebastian stared down at him for a moment. Agni looked truly repentant and deeply troubled by all the difficulties his actions had caused for them... even though, in Sebastian's opinion, the man had no real reason to apologize to him in the first place. Agni had merely been faithfully serving his master, just as a butler should.

"Mister Agni, there is no need for that." Sebastian stated calmly as he too kneeled down and offered the other man his hand. "Please, raise your head."

"That's right. No real harm was done, so don't worry about it, 'kay?" Chêne said reassuringly as she squatted down beside them. "Just look over there, and you'll see that everything is copacetic!" She added, smiling brightly as she pointed to Ciel and Soma. Soma had his arm around Ciel, and the Indian prince was smiling and laughing. Ciel didn't exactly look pleased about having his personal space invaded, because there was a small vein mark on his face and he was making a rather feeble attempt to remove Soma's arm with the hand that wasn't holding his cane, but if Ciel had really hated it, he would've probably gotten one of them to remove Soma for him by now... It was nice to see him 'playing' with another boy who was so close to his own age. Ciel was such a work-a-holic most of the time, that Chêne was worried he'd forget how to interact with other children altogether. Kids should take time to play while they still can, you know? Agni stared at the scene, looking a little awestruck.

"I initially regretted bringing my prince over to Great Britain." Agni admitted solemnly. "However... now I am glad I brought him here. My prince and I have been taught many things by you. I cannot even begin to express my thanks for all you have done." He told Sebastian and Chêne.

"As I have said many times... I fought for my own reasons, and you for yours. That is all. Thanks are not necessary." Sebastian stated calmly.

"Yeah, it's no big deal, Mister Agni. If Sebastian says it's okay, then it's okay." Chêne said, smiling. She was glad Sebastian was being so gracious to the poor man after everything he'd been through. He must have developed some respect for the humble khansama.

Not many people could give Sebastian a run for his money like that.

"The goddess Kali in whom you believe was also able to realize her mistakes because of the pain that both she and the god Shiva suffered... just like the two of you here now." Sebastian added as he stood up again. "... Goodness. The sun is already setting. Let us go home." He held his hand out to Chêne and helped her to her feet, like a proper English gentleman. She smiled warmly at him, her eyes sparkling in the warm glow of the setting sun.

"True... Besides, you know what they say—no pain, no gain. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Chêne said, smiling wryly as their whole motley crew reassembled, and they started making their way out of the Crystal Palace.

"Indeed..." Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he glanced surreptitiously at Ciel. Their young master had a certain level of experience living that particular idiom already.

"To have an Englishman and Englishwoman instruct us in a teaching of our own heritage... is most embarrassing." Agni said humbly, smiling wryly as he rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. These people were so kind and understanding!

"I'm an American, though..." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped.

"England, India, or America, it makes no difference." Sebastian said, smiling slightly as he stepped ahead of them. "No matter where or from what era, they are all alike..." The demon butler turned to face them, his silhouette framed by the orange glow of the brilliant English sunset that could be seen through the delicate glass walls. His crimson eyes glowed like embers in the fiery light. "... Those beings called humans."

"... Yes, you are right." Agni agreed, smiling a little as they all stopped to admire the sunset as well. "The sunset seen from the banks of the Ganges and the sunset seen from Great Britain... They are both beautiful."

"...'Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.'" Chêne said thoughtfully as she watched the sunset with her odd assortment new family and friends.

"That was beautiful Miss Chêne! Did you just think that up? What's it mean?" Finni asked curiously.

"Haha, actually, that was something Mrs. Karishma told me before. It's from one of her favorite Indian poets..." Chêne admitted, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "I think it means don't sweat the small stuff, because even hardships can have happy endings...?" Sebastian smiled slightly. How very like Chêne to say something like that. He glanced at Ciel. Ciel was gazing at the colorful sky stoically as he stood beside Soma. Soma was watching the setting sun with a slightly more forlorn expression.

_SLAM!_

"Wha..._!_?" Ciel shouted with indignant surprise when Soma suddenly threw himself at the younger boy, embracing him, as he buried his head against Ciel's slim shoulder.

"U..." Soma said, his voice muffled.

'U...?' The three stooges thought, stunned. What was the significance of this, and why had he just suddenly grabbed their young master...?

'Ah...' Chêne thought, nodding to herself in understanding as she started searching for her handkerchief. 'Three... Two... One...'

"—_UWAAAAAAAAAH!"_ Soma wailed mournfully, startling Ciel and the three stooges.

"_Wh—!_?" Ciel cried in surprise, turning slightly blue with shock. What the bloody hell just happened_!_? Why was he crying _now_..?

"_Mi... Minaaaa!_!" Soma sobbed miserably, unable to hold in his sadness over the loss of his kind maid any longer. "Uwaaaahn, Ciel!"

"_Let me go!"_ Ciel demanded, vein throbbing on his forehead. Why must _he_ be treated like a human security blanket? Chêne smiled wryly as she sighed and shook her head at the two boys antics. Agni wrung his hands nervously, not quite sure what he should do.

"Don't worry, guys. I got this." Chêne said reassuringly as she pulled out her hanky and went to help peel Soma off of Ciel and comfort him. "Aw, hush now... I know it hurts now, but it's gonna be okay, Prince Soma. You're all right. I've got you." She cooed soothingly as Ciel elbowed the wailing prince in an attempt to put some distance between them. "Ciel! Use your words if you have a problem!" She scolded him lightly, trying not to laugh at the priceless expression on the young earl's face.

"... I truly am so very glad... we came to Great Britain." Agni told Sebastian once more, smiling as he watched Chêne and the three stooges try to cheer Soma up while he stubbornly clung to his new friend, much to the latter's chagrin, since Ciel's expensive clothes were being covered in snot and tears. "Both my prince and I... were able to meet the greatest of friends here." Sebastian's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Did you say... friends?" Sebastian asked, genuinely stunned. "This is my first time hearing that from someone."

"Hey!" Chêne said indignantly, turning around to face them as she put her hands on her hips. "Aren't we friends, Sebastian? We've been 'brothers in arms' for two years now, taking care of Ciel..."

"..." Sebastian said as he stared at her strangely for a moment. "Chêne is Chêne. You don't count." He stated bluntly, causing her to flinch in shock, as he beamed a brilliant shit-eating grin at her.

'Wha—_!_? Just what the heck is _that_ supposed to mean...?' She wondered, feeling a little chagrined. Even if they'd never said it out loud, hadn't the become friends over the past two years after all the obstacles (i.e., Ciel's unreasonably high expectations and doing damage control for the three stooges) they had overcome together? Weren't they kind of comrades in arms...? Chêne blinked when she suddenly realized there was something else a little strange. She glanced around, taking a silent head count. Sure enough, it hadn't been her imagination after all. Lau and Ran-Mao had gone off somewhere on their own...

=†=†=†=†=

{In a certain back alley...}

"—_Hell! How dare they reduce my plan to ashes!"_ West shouted in frustration as he slumped back against the wall and slid down into a sitting position, holding his head in his hands. Three years... Three years of kissing up to the royals with free goods, and nothing to show for it!

"Cheer up... There's always next time." Mina said soothingly, trying to reassure her defeated husband.

"Yes, yes. Next time, quite." A mysterious voice said slyly as a figure emerged from the shadows. It was Lau. The Chinaman grinned. "Hiya, you two. Nice try back there." He said pleasantly, as though he were merely commenting on something as trivial as the weather.

"_!_?" West gasped in surprised. "Who are you...?" This man looked vaguely familiar, but he just couldn't figure out why... Had they met somewhere before?

"Lord Earl said to leave the small fry alone, but those who try something once will try it again and again." Lau said, smiling wryly as he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "He's still too soft when it comes to that sort of thing, I guess. Well..." He said, changing to a more serious tone as he opened his vulpine eyes and smirked slyly. "... I do find his _boyish_ side rather loveable." He gave a soft, cynical laugh. "But I must strike fear into the hearts of the naughty little mice who made a mess in my garden here, in the East End."

SWF...

"_!_?" Mina and West said, startled when yet another mysterious figure emerged from the shadows. This time it was a scantily clad Chinese girl holding two melon hammers.

"That's why I keep this _cat._" Lau explained as the girl slammed one of the ancient Chinese weapons into the paved street, shattering the cobblestones as if they were simply brittle clots of mud.

"_Eep...!"_ Mina and West yelped as they flinched and turned blue with shock, holding each other as they cowered in fear of the insanely strong girl.

"_Meow~!"_ Lau said play fully as he held one of his hands up like a cat's paw and imitated a Chinese 'lucky cat' figurine, grinning ominously at them.

"_GYAAAAAAAAH!_! _WE WON'T DO IT AGAIN—WE SWEAR!_!" Mina and West cried in terror, begging for mercy as they deadly cat closed in on its prey.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at the Crystal Palace with Ciel and company...}

"It's about time you stopped crying!" Ciel huffed indignantly as he tried to brush himself off and make himself more presentable now that Soma had finally released him. "Didn't you say you were seventeen?" Ciel asked, sweat dropping, as he watched Soma sniffle and wipe his runny nose on his own sleeve. Chêne's poor abused handkerchief had already been used to the point of no return, and it had now become one giant glob of slimy mucus... Chêne had decided to just let Soma keep it. There was no way she could ever look at that poor little handkerchief the same way ever again after that...

"Use this..." Ciel told Soma, sighing as he decided to sacrifice one of his own handkerchiefs this time, rather than be seen walking around with a snot-covered teenager. "?" Ciel said, surprised when an envelope was pulled out of his pocket along with his handkerchief. _"...! This is—"_ Ciel said when he saw the royal crest on the wax seal. _"When did this get into my pocket!_?" He shouted in surprise, turning slightly blue with shock as he clutched the letter.

"Her Majesty's man put it there a moment ago." Sebastian informed him dutifully, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"That's why it took him so long to chase after Her Majesty when she left." Chêne added very matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious.

"_Why didn't you tell me!_?" Ciel demanded incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. What if this contained urgent information_!_?

"You did not ask." Sebastian said reasonably.

"I thought you would've realized someone was digging around in your pocket like that." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "You'd be such an easy mark for pick-pocketing... You're like a thief's dream come true, Ciel." Another vein mark throbbed on his head. _These two...!_!

"Tch!" Ciel clicked his tongue in irritation and handed Soma his handkerchief so he could blow his nose before proceeding to open the envelope. "Nn? A card...?" Ciel said, puzzled as he removed a cheerful, but tasteful Christmas card from the envelope.

"Oh, that's a really nice card Ciel! It looks handmade, too." Chêne observed as she glanced at it over his shoulder.

"Perhaps it is a Christmas greeting for her dear _boy_." Sebastian teased, grinning slyly.

"Do you want to die?" Ciel asked him in a deadly calm and cold tone of voice. A vein throbbed on his head as he glared coldly at Sebastian, his face cast in shadow. He was emitting a very dark and dangerous aura. His demonic butler was definitely enjoying this way too much, in his opinion.

"By the way, where did Mister Lau go, where?" Mei-Rin asked curiously, suddenly realizing they were short a couple of people.

"Yeah. He aint's around, huh." Bard said thoughtfully. Chêne sweat dropped. Seriously? They were only noticing that _now_...?

"Haah!" Ciel sighed wearily, both mentally and physically exhausted from the day's events. "... I'm tired. I want to go home and relax over a cup of tea."

"Very well, Sir." Sebastian replied dutifully as Ciel handed him the card for safe keeping until they had returned home, where he could read it in privacy. There was no way the queen would go to that much trouble just to give her watchdog a simple greeting card. "I shall brew a high-grade Assam upon our return. And for dinner, I shall put everything into making the very best curry—"

"_Hell no!"_ Chêne cut in bluntly, instantly nixing that plan. "If it's going to be like that, then I'm cooking—and it's going to be anything _but curry!_ I've had enough chicken to last me a month, too!"

"Quite right. You can drop the curry jokes." Ciel said, chagrined, vein throbbing on his forehead. He was behind Chêne one-hundred percent this time. "I don't want to lay eyes on anything so much as resembling curry. Leave the cooking up to Chêne tonight."

"Heh. Very good, Sir." Sebastian said, smirking slyly. Chêne sweat dropped. He definitely did that on purpose...!


	85. That Butler, Agitated

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Agitated<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p>"... Let me get this straight, now." Chêne said as she placed some scones in the oven to bake while Sebastian prepared Ciel's morning tea. Ciel had insisted on returning to the manor house after they left the Crystal Palace, since he had run out of patience for the bustling city of London, so Chêne had prepared some guest rooms for them while Sebastian tucked Ciel in for the night. "While I was getting Prince Soma and Mister Agni settled in last night, you and Ciel took a closer look at that card the queen gave him, and you found a letter with orders for a new investigation tucked inside of it...?"<p>

"Yes. Apparently, someone has been targeting couples on their wedding days, and several brides have already been murdered. However, since the incidents have all taken place in the countryside, and they have been hushed up by the local authorities so as not to create a panic, the unfortunate incidents have not been made public in the London newspapers yet. These incidents do not seem to involve the underworld, but Her Majesty wishes for the young master to solve this case before Christmas Day, so that her citizens will not be cowering in fear on such a 'joyful' occasion. The local police seem to be utterly hopeless and unreliable on this matter, so she is making an exception this time." Sebastian explained.

"I see... I can't believe they managed to keep something like that quiet... how many victims are there, and how long has this been going on? Where is this happening? What's the M.O.?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. To be killed on what was supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life... _how terrible._ It was on a whole new level of 'suck'.

"It seems there have been four victims so far. In most cases, the bride was shot by an unseen gunman, who seems to have come and gone completely unnoticed on every occasion. However, there was one instance where one of the grooms was killed as well, when he tried to shield his new wife. The killer seems to be consistently targeting young brides who are petite, brunette, and Catholic. It seems they were all 'rushed weddings' as well. These events have all taken place in the neighboring county. They have occurred over time from the first victim, at the end of this September, until the most recent one, which occurred just the day before yesterday." Sebastian stated calmly. "I will explain everything in more detail once the young master has finished his business with Lord Randall, but for now, you have been given the task of taking care of most of the arrangements for the ceremony."

"What ceremony?" Chêne asked, confused. Sebastian turned to face her, giving her a positively radiant shit-eating grin. She sweat dropped. That was never a good sign...

"Why, _our _wedding ceremony, of course." Sebastian stated matter-of-factly, beaming with all the blinding brilliance of the sun itself. Chêne gaped at him, completely dumbstruck.

"... _Huh_...?" She asked, not believing what she had just heard. She must still be asleep in her bed, or something... there was just no way Sebastian would say something like that in real li—

"As time is of the essence, and a detailed investigation would take far too long, it has been decided that you and I shall hold a wedding ceremony that meets the same requirements as all of the previous victims in order to catch the culprit in the act, and therefore, allow us to close this case within the next three days, or so." Sebastian said practically.

"O-Oh... So that's what you meant..." Chêne said, exhaling the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. So they were going to have a pretend wedding... That made sense, and Chêne knew she would probably be an ideal victim since she pretty much fit the description of all the killer's previous victims. It was a little disappointing that it was just pretend, but at the same time, Chêne was relieved because she definitely wasn't ready to make that kind of commitment yet, I mean, she was only nineteen. She wasn't even old enough to legally drink yet in her original world! "I know how things work in my world, but I'm pretty sure some of the customs are different here..." She said hesitantly.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of all the necessary documents and such. You only need to focus on having a bridal gown made. I have already arranged for the usual tailor to come, so you can start on that once she arrives." Sebastian said confidently.

"Wait, why do we need paperwork for this if it's just for show? And what about my chores? Don't I need to supervise the others to make sure they're behaving while you're attending to Ciel and his guest?" Chêne asked.

"I already started investigating further into the matter last night, and I have discovered that the targeted couples had all used the same official to draw up their wedding contract, the same church, same florist, and same photographer. I am certain one of them is the culprit, and that is how the killer is choosing his victims. Therefore, we will be using all of them as well. The killer does not shoot until after the vows have been exchanged." Sebastian explained patiently. "As for your duties for today... you need not trouble yourself with them."

'I see... So, even though Sebastian still has to keep up the appearance of arranging for a real contract, we can just switch the official paperwork out for a useless fake later, and inform the priest of the situation ahead of time so that we can get permission to use and actor or something in his place, since I doubt it's him.' Chêne thought. Everyone would definitely notice if the priest pulled out a gun and shot the bride at pointblank range, where everyone could see him. "All right, if you're sure it won't be too much of a hassle trying to manage the others while serving Ciel and Lord Randall, then I guess it'll be okay, because I have a feeling it'll take me a while to be able to get a dress we both agree on, knowing _her_..."

_DING~DONG!_

"Ah, that must be her now." Sebastian said, frowning slightly in disapproval. "How many times must I tell her _not_ to use the main door?"

"I think she does it just to annoy you." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "I'll go let her in."

=†=†=†=†=

{Ciel's bedroom...}

"Young Master." Sebastian said, waking Ciel, as he drew the curtain open to let the sunlight into the room. "It is time to rise."

Ciel squeezed his eyes shut at the bright light that assaulted his sleepy eyes, but he still pushed himself up into a sitting position, yawning as he stretched.

"Today's tea is Harrod's white Darjeeling." Sebastian informed him as he handed Ciel his cup of tea and the daily newspaper. On the front page was an article about their victory in the curry festival.

"The manor really is the most comfortable place of all. " Ciel said as he sipped his tea and flipped to the next page. There didn't seem to be any serious news articles, and there was even an advertisement for a traveling circus that was due to visit London soon. It seems the murders of those unfortunate brides and groom were still being hushed up, after all. He hadn't been too keen on the idea of letting Chêne risk a bullet to the head, but he knew Sebastian wouldn't let any harm come to her, since he would undoubtedly be able to move her out of harms way the instant the culprit pulled the trigger.

"I am pleased to hear you say that." Sebastian said, smiling slightly as he placed a warm scone on a plate for Ciel. "As for the day's schedule... First, you have new product proposals to approve this morning, and Miss Hopkins has already arrived and is working on Chêne's bridal gown, as you requested. She seems to be rather eager to design something for Chêne again..." He added, his mood darkening slightly as he thought of how Chêne had to constantly be on her guard the last time in order to counter any of Nina Hopkin's attempts at sexual harassment... Nina might be extremely skilled, but that habit of hers was quite vexing. Sebastian knew Chêne could take care of herself, but he was starting to regret leaving them alone... who knows what that strange woman was thinking while watching Chêne strip down to her undergarments so she could take her measurements...

"Is that all for today?" Ciel asked, bringing the demon butler back to the real world.

"Ah, my apologies, Sir. I seemed to have let my mind wander for a brief moment. The newly established foodstuffs department has sent an estimate of costs for building the Hindustani restaurant, as well." Sebastian stated calmly and started to help Ciel dress for the day. "In the afternoon, Madame Bright will be here for your piano lesson... and Madame Rodkin for your French lesson. This evening, Lord Randall of the Yard is expected to arrive just past six."

"Aah. On the matter of compensation for the recent Anglo-Indian affair, hm?" Ciel said. He had almost forgotten about that... more like, he didn't really want to remember. Ciel knew that he was not Lord Randall's favorite person, and the felling was quite mutual.

"Yes, Sir. What shall I make for your afternoon snack tod—" Sebastian started to ask as he helped Ciel into his jacket, when the door suddenly slammed open, revealing an overly excited Prince Soma.

"_Ciel!_!_ Ciel!_! _What is that square box!_? _There are people inside!_!" Soma exclaimed anxiously, panting as he tried to catch his breath from running all the way to Ciel's room. _"There was a man who struck down villains with a stick!_!" His eyes were sparkling with awe and admiration. Chêne had warned him and Agni before not to bother Ciel until he had been woken up by Sebastian (to save them all an unnecessary headache), and had showed Soma Ciel's television and explained how to turn it on and off. She told him that he would be able to see 'something interesting' if he played with it while waiting for Ciel, and she had been right! An old episode of _The Wild Earl_ had been on that morning.

"Aaah, do be quiet. Don't raise your voice this early in the morning!" Ciel grumbled moodily, his good mood instantly shattering along with peaceful and quiet atmosphere he had only briefly been able to enjoy before Soma barged in. "In any case! When are you lot going back to India_!_?" He demanded, chagrined.

"Going back?" Soma asked, looking genuinely confused. "What are you saying? I'm staying in Great Britain for your sake of course!" He stated matter-of-factly, as though it should have been obvious.

"_Eeh!_?" Ciel said incredulously, understandably shocked. What did he mean 'for his sake'_!_? Wasn't he just sponging off of him_!_?

"When I declared I'd become a fine gentleman, didn't you say I was all talk?" Soma reminded him, grinning confidently. "So I thought I would show you the process of my becoming such a gentleman every step of the way!"

"_That isn't—!"_ Ciel started to protest, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"_Priiiiiince! My Priiiiiince!"_ Agni called cheerfully as he popped hi head into the room. "So you were with Lord Ciel, after all. You were not in you room, so I was wondering where you had gone." He said, giving them all a refreshing and happy smile. Now that he was free from West's scheme, a huge weight had been lifted off of the poor man's shoulders.

"Now see here!" Ciel shouted indignantly as another vein mark popped up. "What _are _you playing at? 'Your room'? I don't recall ever giving you permission to live in this—"

"Never mind that now! How does that square box work?" Soma asked excitedly.

"_As I said!_!" Ciel shouted, positively fuming now. Sebastian sighed boredly and turned on his heel to face the serving cart again. He had better things to do than listen to such a pointless discussion. "_Listen when I'm talking to youuuuu!_!" Ciel roared furiously at Soma as Sebastian rolled the cart away, leaving them to their own devices.

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Downstairs, the main kitchen}

_CLAP!_

Sebastian clapped his hands together, bringing the other Phantomhive servants to attention.

"...And so..." Sebastian said as the three stooges and Mister Tanaka all waited to hear their duties for the day, full of anticipation. They were having a guest over again!

"Lord Randall will arrive just past six this evening. Must not bring shame upon the young master and the illustrious Phantomhive name. Mei-Rin, polish the banister of the front staircase."

"I will, yes, I will!" Mei-Rin replied enthusiastically.

"Finni, remove the snow from the tress in the inner courtyard." Sebastian ordered next.

"'Kaaaay!" Finni said cheerfully.

"Bard, please take care of the chicken for tonight's soup." Sebastian said finally.

"No problem_!_!" Bard said, super confidant in his abilities.

"Mister Tanaka..." Sebastian said, glancing at the old man. He was currently heating up some strange substance that was rising and inflating itself like a balloon on his little portable grill. "... Please make yourself at home." Sebastian said, turning his head away from the strange sight. Just what on earth _was _that...?

"Hoh! Hoh! Hoh!" Mister Tanaka chuckled softly, the very picture of innocence.

"Listen. Chêne is currently preoccupied with a task the young master has asked her to attend to, so she will not be available to help you for some time today." Sebastian told the three stooges seriously. "Do not get needlessly carried away and take it into your heads to do more than you have been asked. Just follow the directions given to you—"

KACHAK.

"?" Sebastian said when the kitchen door opened slowly, and Agni joined them. "Mister Agni."

"As I am imposing upon the kindness of this manor, please feel free to ask anything of me." Agni said pleasantly, smiling warmly at anyone. Well, at least someone dependable had come.

"Where is Prince Soma?" Sebastian asked, hoping he wasn't still heckling Ciel and distracting the young earl from his lessons.

"He is engrossed by the box known as 'television' that he borrowed from Lord Ciel." Agni explained brightly.

"Aha..." Sebastian said thoughtfully. 'Young Master intends to push through today's agenda while Prince Soma is absorbed with his toy, hm... What a marvelous idea.' He thought as he pictured a disgruntled Ciel telling Soma he was in the way, and shoving him in front of the television before making a run for it. "Then may I ask you to clean the windows? As you are much taller than I am." Sebastian asked Agni, holding the bucket of cleaning supplies out to the dependable man. Although height was hardly an issue for Sebastian, he knew that letting Agni feel useful would be mush easier than to try to convince the saintly man that he should not be working since he was a guest, and Agni was ten times as useful as the others...

"Yes_!_! You may count on me!" Agni said brightly.

"Very well. Everyone, to your posts!" Sebastian ordered, dismissing them so they could get to work.

"Yes, Siiiiir!" They all cheered enthusiastically.

=†=†=†=†=

{Downstairs, in Chêne's room...}

"Oh! Très bien, Chêne! Your measurements haven't changed at all since I last measured you! How I wish I could have seen you wearing the blue ball gown I designed for you then! And the earl, too! Nina said excitedly as she recorded the measurements she had just taken for Chêne. "You've always been such a lovely girl, just like a porcelain doll, but now you've really become a woman~! You have such a wonderfully proportioned body... I really envy that hardhead for managing to snag such a beautiful bride. Tch." She said, her expression darkening a little as she though of how her lovely Chêne was marrying such a stiff guy.

"Haha... um, thanks... I guess?" Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. She and Lacey were so alike... apart from Lacey's more macabre interests. "We're not really getting married, though. It's just for an act we're putting on."

"Hmm... is that so?" Nina asked, her skepticism written plainly all over her face. That certainly hadn't been the impression she had gotten when Sebastian called her to set up this appointment. "You should be careful with him, then. Men are wolves, Miss Chêne." Nina said seriously. Chêne sweat dropped.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who only just stopped trying to molest me a moment ago." Chêne deadpanned. "Anyway, have you thought up any designs yet?" Nina smirked and her glasses gleamed.

"Fu-fu-fu~! Such fair skin... a petite and slender body that still manages to have a narrow waist that forms subtly sexy curves..." Nina mumbled to herself as her fighting spirit started to rise. "_Yes, yeees, yes!_! _The font of my imagination is bubbling overrrr!_!" She roared mightily as she started to pant, getting a little _too_ excited. "I can see it now! Although I wish I could prepare you something as a June bride...As it's winter now, your bridal gown will be in a winter style, with long sleeves and a flowing train, draped in a warm and soft, but flowing fabric with a lovely train. It should have delicate, floral embroidery on it, lace, and perhaps even some fur since it's such a cold season! It should be pure white, like untouched snow! Pure! And, of course, the veil will match! Traditionally, it should be simple with as crown of orange blossoms, if available, but accents of winter roses would suit you so much better~!" Nina gushed as she grabbed a pen and began sketching the patterns furiously. "However, lavender has become a fashionable color for bridal gowns as well, so maybe I'll add in a few hints of it here and there~!" Chêne sweat dropped. Why was Nina designing such a lavish dress...? She hoped she wasn't going to be the one footing the bill for this...

=†=†=†=†=

{The inner courtyard...}

"Hrrn." Finni said thoughtfully as he stared up at the tall, snow-covered tree before him. "I can't reach it..." He said as he stretched as far as he could, standing on his tippy-toes as he tried to reach far enough with the broom to knock the snow off the branches. It just wasn't working at all.

_DING._

A light bulb lit up in Finni's head as a solution to his problem suddenly occurred to him.

"_Yay~!_!" Finni cheered as he rammed his shoulder and arm into the tree, hoping the impact would knock the snow loose.

_CRACK. FWSHHHH._

Finni watched as the hardy evergreen tree's trunk snapped in half and it fell to the ground, completely severed from its stump. All of the color immediately drained from Finni's face as he turned blue from shock and broke out in nervous sweat. _"Aah! I broke the tree!_!_ Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What do I do!_?" He cried anxiously. "_Mister Sebastian'll scold me agaiiin!"_ Finni sobbed, absolutely terrified. _"BUEEEEH!"_

"My boy_!_! What has happened_!_? Agni asked, startled and concerned, as he rushed over to the open window to make sure Finni was all right.

—^—^—^—

"In that case, you had only to say something sooner..." Agni said kindly as he left Finni sit on his shoulders after hearing his explanation about the poor tree. "Well? Now you are able to reach, yes?" he asked Finni, smiling.

"Woow, sooo hiiigh~_!_!" Finni cheered excitedly as he held the broom high above his head. "I'm too strong, and I'm always messing up 'cos I can't control myself." He explained as he carefully used the broom to brush the snow off of another tree's branches.

"Trees are living beings too, so you must handle them with care." Agni said gently.

"With care... huh? Miss Chêne's told me that before too." Finni said thoughtfully. "That isn't something I would've understood before coming here... But now... It makes perfect sense~!" He said, smiling brightly.

"Ah yes... Tell me, why did you become a gardener, my boy?" Agni asked curiously, a little puzzled by Finni's last statement.

"Young Master found me and took me in a little over a year ago..." Finni said as he continued to concentrate on being careful not to use too much force on the tree.

"Found you?" Agni asked, furrowing his brow slightly in concern.

"Before, I didn't get to go outside like this all the time, so now everyday's lots of fun!" Finni explained as he hopped down from Agni's shoulders. "I can come in contact with trees and insects... and people too..." He turned his back to Agni as he stared at his gloved hand thoughtfully. His warm, hand-knitted gloves had been a present from Chêne last Christmas. "... But... at first, I was frightened. It's really hard for me to touch something without breaking it..." Finni said sadly.

"My boy...?" Agni said, wondering what had caused the sudden change in the cheerful boy's demeanor.

"_AH!"_ Finni shouted suddenly, startling Agni.

"_!_?" Agni gasped in surprise as his heart skipped a beat. "Wh-What is it_!_?" He asked nervously.

"_I forgot to get the snow on the other side of the tree!_!" Finni cried in dismay. "I've only dine half of my work_!_!"

"Ahaha! You are an absentminded one. Come, let us do it together." Agni said kindly. The two of them were completely unaware of the watchful eyes that had been following their movements from one of the second story windows.

"... Things seem to be in hand over there." Sebastian observed as he turned away from the window.

=†=†=†=†=

{Downstairs, the main kitchen}

"Geez—! What a pain in the butt—!" bard grumbled as he cleaned the chicken like Sebastian told him to.

_THWAK._

Bard slammed his knife down roughly on the chopping board.

"I'll keep the bones for the broth. Maybe I oughta keep the fat for makin' whatever too." He thought to himself out loud. "Right onnn! Today's a special day 'cos we have a guest comin'! And so... _The chef'll season the dish himself!_!" Bard declared dramatically as he whipped out his new flamethrower.

—^—^—^—

Agni had finished helping Finni, and he was walking down the quiet hallways of the manor's Downstairs. He had just passed the kitchen, when—

_BOOOM!_!

—There was a huge explosion!

"_Mister Chef!_!_ Are you all right!_?" Agni called anxiously as he ran into the smoky kitchen to check on Bard.

"If I look all right to ya, those eyes on yer head must be just fer show." Bard said, chagrined. His hair had been fried into a black afro again, and he was covered in cinders. His cigarette had been pretty much reduced to ash. "The flames were just a bit too strong, and a bunch of stuff got burnt." He explained, coughing from all the smoke in the room.

"Stock from chicken bones tastes better if you simmer it slowly." Agni told him, a little flustered, as he helped brush some of the cinders off of Bard's uniform, hoping the chef didn't have any serious injuries.

"Aaah. I got that all up here, but... before I came here, I'd never cooked or eaten meals all relaxed like." Bard explained, tapping his head. "So I try to do it all fast and make a mess. I guess I gotta get used to it..." He said as he placed a new cigarette in his mouth and smoothed his afro down, restoring his hair to its former glory. He grinned ruefully as he lit his cigarette. "...This kinda _peaceful environment."_

"Mister Chef..." Agni said, wondering what had happened to the man before him that would cause him to say such a thing.

"Yeah, whatever!" He said, laughing Agni's worries away. "All right_!_! I'll clean up here and start cooking all over again! You go on 'n' get back to your station too!" He said energetically.

"I will help you clean up." Agni offered generously. The kitchen was like a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

"I'm tellin' ya, it's fine! You've got your own job to do, right? A servant's duty is to take care of his own station!" Bard insisted good-naturedly.

"Just so!" Agni said enthusiastically, agreeing with Bard's 'go get 'em' attitude towards his duties.

"..." Sebastian said from where he had been listening out in the hallway. He, too, had come to check on the explosion, but Agni seemed to be more than enough help to handle the disastrous chef. 'Things appear to be in order here as well.' He thought as he turned to leave and resume his own duties.

"Hm-hmmm~!" Mei-Rin hummed happily as she worked on dusting the banister of the front staircase. "Goood_!_! Sparkling, they are! All that's left is to wax them all..."

"Ah!" Agni said when he spotted Mei-Rin as he was coming up the stairs. "Miss Ma—" He called out to her, about to ask if there were any more windows that needed washing, when he noticed something odd...

_The beautiful wooden banister had somehow become pitch-black where Mei-Rin had polished it!_

"_Miss Maaaaaaaid!_?" Agni shouted in alarm, turning blue from shock.

—^—^—^—

"Did it again, I did... I mistook the shoe polish for the wax on sight..." Mei-Rin said gloomily as she started to enter her own little corner of woe while she and Agni tried to clean the black shoe polish off of the banister.

"Ah, yes... your eyesight is rather poor, is it not?" Agni asked, smiling wryly as he tried to distract her from her failure.

"I–In my case, it's very, very bad farsightedness, it is. And the prescription of these glasses has gone a bit off." Mei-Rin said, blushing slightly out of embarrassment.

"Perhaps you might ask for a new pair—" Agni started to suggest helpfully.

"N–_Never!_!" Mei-Rin protested earnestly. "Young Master bought these for me. My treasure, they are! And this maid uniform too." Mei-Rin explained as she clutched her apron. "I'd never worn skirts or any such thing till I came here, so... I'm very happy to be a maid now and working with Miss Chêne, who taught me about these things." She said, smiling happily. "And if I take my glasses off, I can see far away very well! So I'm fine, I am!" She added cheerfully.

"I see everyone here truly loves this manor." Agni said, smiling brightly, glad to see how much everyone cared for Lord Ciel since he was his prince's new friend.

"Yes we do indeed!" Mei-Rin said enthusiastically as Sebastian turned walked away from where he had been listening to them, satisfied that everything was already being put back into order. Now there was just one more thing he needed to take care of...

=†=†=†=†=

{Back in Chêne's room...}

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Come in." Chêne called out as Nina pinned the bridal gown together in the back while she stood on a stool.

"I see things here are progressing well..." Sebastian observed when he entered the room and saw the nearly completed dress. It looked like they going to be finished sooner than expe—

_RIIIIIIP!_

"_!_?" Chêne cried in alarm when Nina suddenly ripped the dress off of her, leaving her in just her Victorian era undergarments. She instinctively slapped her arms over her chest to cover it, but there was really no point to even try, since Sebastian had seen her like that so many times already from whenever she needed help putting on a corset... Still, Chêne blushed furiously out of shyness and embarrassment when Sebastian smirked at her. _"Don't look!_! _Turn around, dammit!"_ She snapped defensively. _What the hell was he smirking at!_?

"My, my. There's no need to be so shy, Chêne. After all, we shall be husband and wife soon, remember?" Sebastian teased her, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin. Chêne's blush deepened.

"_It's just pretend! Stop using your authority as my senior co-worker to harass me!" _Chêne shouted, chagrined. Why did he always have to tease her like this_!_? And why did she have to fall in love with such a sadistic demon, of all people_!_? "Anyway, why did you just suddenly rip the dress like that, Miss Nina?" She asked, turning to face the tailor.

Nina Hopkins, tailor extraordinaire, was currently muttering darkly to herself about how she didn't want 'such an ordinary silhouette' and other random things, like how lavender was 'too dull after all'. Chêne sweat dropped. It looked like they weren't going to be finishing the dress any time soon, after all...

"Miss Hopkins." Sebastian said, bringing the frustrated tailor to attention.

"Oh... I see 'Mister Stiff' is here." Nina said bluntly, frowning in disappointment. Sebastian really irritated her the way he always tried to correct her designs when they were 'inappropriate'. "Do you need something, because if not, then _shoo!"_ Chêne sweat dropped again. Nina was _so_ lucky Sebastian didn't have a short fuse, or he might have killed her a long time ago...

"My apologies, but I almost forgot to inform you that Chêne will be borrowing this bridal veil for the wedding, so the dress's design must be something that will not clash with it." Sebastian stated calmly as he held up a beautiful, translucent veil. "It was originally designed to be worn with a crown of yellow roses." Chêne and Nina gave him a blank stare for a moment. Sebastian... _forgot something..._? It was like watching a solar eclipse, definitely an incredibly rare event.

"_Say these things sooner!_!" Nina roared furiously as she flipped a the desk over. "That won't go with _any _of the designs I've already drawn! _They're meant to be in lavender!_ Lavender is the new white now that the trend to copy the queen's white bridal gown has _finally_ died down!"

"... Sebastian... Isn't that...?" Chêne asked tentatively when she realized why the elegant veil looked so familiar. She had definitely seen it in a certain wedding portrait...

"Yes, it is. Young Master told me to take it out of storage for you to use when I informed him of the tradition requiring a new bride to obtain 'something borrowed' to wear on her wedding day. It is usually something significant, like the veil of another woman who is currently in a happy marriage." Sebastian explained. "He said his mother and father had been very happy together."

"_No way._ I can't wear that! What if something happens to it_!_?" Chêne protested. She was deeply touched that Ciel would be willing to lend her something so important, but... that was exactly why she couldn't accept it. What if it got damaged while she was trying to dodge bullets?

"The young master insists. He said you might as well use it instead of 'keeping it hidden until it became just another moth-eaten rag'." Sebastian said, smiling wryly in amusement. Ciel certainly had no use for it, since he would never become a bride himself. Chêne still looked doubtful, but she decided to accept Ciel's gracious offer anyway. If he really wanted her to use it, then she might as well...

Nina was truly surprised by the exchange that had just taken place in front of her. This was a huge sign of favoritism on that normally stoic little earl's part.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that evening...}

"Eh?" Agni said, slightly taken aback. He must have misheard. "What did you just—"

"I asked you to stay put in your room once the guests arrive, Mister Agni." Sebastian calmly repeated himself. He was currently setting the dinning room table with a little help from Agni. He had insisted. Chêne was currently seeing Nina Hopkins off, as the mercurial tailor had finally completed a splendid bridal gown for Chêne... or so Sebastian had been told. Neither Nina nor Chêne, for that matter, would let him see it since it was supposed to be bad luck. He hoped it wasn't anything too... _extreme_.

"Wh–What for?" Agni asked nervously, confused.

"Today's guest is Lord Randall, Commissioner of Scotland Yard. He is also in charge of the case involving the Anglo-Indian hanging incidents." Sebastian explained.

"Might he be coming to arrest me_!_?" Agni asked, reasonably alarmed by the news.

"No. No one else knows the true identity of the perpetrator, so do not worry." Sebastian stated calmly as Chêne walked into the room.

"... Is this a bad time...?" Chêne asked hesitantly, glancing between the butler and khansama when she sensed the tense atmosphere in the room.

"I was just informing Mister Agni about Lord Randall." Sebastian explained.

"Oh, gotcha." Chêne said, nodding her head in understanding. That would make anyone nervous. "Don't worry, Agni. We aren't going to sell you out. We know you were only doing those things because West forced your hand." Agni clenched his fist.

"Still... though I was under orders, I caused all those incidents. Should I not be judged in a proper place and atone for my sins?" Agni asked solemnly, feeling guilty for hurting all those innocent people.

"Mister Agni..." Chêne said, staring at him with sparkling eyes, as though he were some rare treasure she had never seen before. He really was a saint... how admirable...

Sebastian sighed, feeling slightly annoyed by Agni's sense of martyrdom and the look of admiration Chêne was giving him for it.

"If you are taken away now, what will become of Prince Soma?" Sebastian asked simply, causing Agni to flinch in shock. "Are you going to break your vow to serve the prince by his side?"

'Ah... that's true...' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. If Agni went to jail, then Soma would be on his own. She was pretty sure Ciel wouldn't actually kick him out on the streets, but still. Ciel was going to need some personal space _very soon_ since he wasn't much of a people person, and Soma had been invading his space relentlessly ever since they first met.

"_B—But—"_ Agni said anxiously as his guilty conscience battled against his loyalty to Soma.

"Mister Agni, everything has been settled already, and those incidents will never happen again, right?" Chêne said, trying to reassure him.

"Leave the rest to us, and make for your quarters. All right?" Sebastian told him calmly but firmly. The last thing they needed was for the Commissioner of the Yard to find out Ciel was housing a criminal.

"..." Agni said reluctantly, still not entirely convinced this was the best course of action.


	86. That Butler, Agitated2

Author's note: Hey, ya'll! Iknow you're all looking forward to the quick wedding arc coming up, but I'm still trying to figure it out, so I'm using this bit to buy time. I should have a wedding gown design for you soon. ^_^

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Agitated 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_B—But—" Agni said anxiously as his guilty conscience battled against his loyalty to Soma._

"_Mister Agni, everything has been settled already, and those incidents will never happen again, right?" Chêne said, trying to reassure him._

"_Leave the rest to us, and make for your quarters. All right?" Sebastian told him calmly but firmly. The last thing they needed was for the Commissioner of the Yard to find out Ciel was housing a criminal._

"_..." Agni said reluctantly, still not entirely convinced this was the best course of action._

* * *

><p>{Later that evening...}<p>

Sebastian waited patiently as a hansom carriage pulled up in front of the Phantomhive manor. Normally Chêne would be with him, but she was currently working on a bridesmaid dress for Mei-Rin. She had decided to spare her fellow maid the hassle of dealing with their strange tailor's unwanted advances since she was too tired from having to defend herself from them to guard Mei-Rin as well. She had managed to convince Nina to allow this with the excuse that since Mei-Rin was her bridesmaid, she wanted to make it herself, as a gift to her fellow maid for her help. Needless to say, Mei-Rin was grateful for the rescue, though they hadn't really told her why she needed a new dress yet...

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the main entrance, so Sebastian stepped forward to open the door for its passengers, as was expected of any butler worth his salt. He was slightly surprised to find that the first person to emerge was not Lord Randall, but the inspector that had been with him when they visited one of the crime scenes... Mister Abberline, if his memory served him correctly. How unusual.

"It must have been a long journey. Welcome." Sebastian greeted both men politely as he helped them down from the carriage.

"Uwaaaah! What a wonderful manor..._!_!" Abberline exclaimed, gazing up at the manor in awe.

"Cease your wide-eyed wonderment at once, you ought to be ashamed_!_!" Lord Randall scolded him sternly. "I have no desire to even set foot in this hive of phantoms that is the Phantomhive manor!" He huffed as Sebastian led them inside.

"I shall fetch my master, so please wait a moment in this room if you would..." Sebastian said respectfully, suppressing a smirk. Lord Randall had no idea just how close that last statement had been to the truth. After all, at least three of the inhabitants of this manor were connected with the supernatural in one way or another...

KACHAK.

Sebastian slowly opened the door to the hallway... and was greeted with the sight of Agni's guilt-ridden face.

_BATAM._

Sebastian immediately shut the door again, hoping the police officers behind him hadn't seen what he had. Thankfully, Lord Randall was too busy scolding Abberline for 'slacking', and Abberline was too busy apologizing to pay him any heed. Agni started to push against the door, trying to open it, but Sebastian pushed back, keeping it shut. He was surprised once again by Agni's strength, as he was actually putting up a rather decent fight against the demon butler.  
><em>"Mister Agni, What is the matter?"<em> Sebastian demanded calmly, speaking just loud enough for Agni to hear through the door without alerting the two men behind him, feeling slightly chagrined. A tiny bead of sweat actually formed on his face. Why was this man being so irritatingly stubborn?

"I have given much thought to the matter since then, and I believe I should surrender to the police..._!_!" Agni replied anxiously as he shook slightly from his little contest of strength with Sebastian, breaking out into a sweat as he strained himself to try to force the door open so that he could confess to his crimes.

"_Listen to me. If you turn yourself in here, you will inconvenience not just Prince Soma, but you will also be causing an enormous inconvenience to the young master." _Sebastian insisted, trying to make the distraught man see reason. "_You do understand, don't you?"_

"Well, well. Lord commissioner." They all heard Ciel say, causing Randall to end the lecture he was giving Abberline. Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Sebastian sweat dropped. At least they still hadn't noticed the butler's tug of war with the door. "Welcome to Phantomhive manor." Ciel said graciously as he descended the stairs to greet his guest, like a good host. Although, a closer look revealed that Ciel's expression seemed more like he was mocking them.

"Dinner is served. If you would please come this way..." Chêne announced, smiling politely as she too joined them. She must have finished with Mei-Rin already.

"Tch!" Lord Randall clicked his tongue in irritation as he and Abberline followed them. Someone was in a foul mood tonight. Sebastian was glad Chêne had come down to guide their guests, as it gave him a little more time to deal with Agni.

"_So do as I say and stay in your room!" _Sebastian told the Indian man firmly. Agni didn't answer, and Sebastian didn't feel him trying to push the door open anymore, so he must have decided to behave himself. With that taken care of, Sebastian quickened his pace and caught up with Ciel and company, taking the lead back from Chêne. It was his duty as the butler to be the main servant to wait on important guests, after all.

"I'm well aware that you do not wish to dine with the likes of me, but... This has been tradition for generations." Ciel told Randall smugly. "It is rare to see you bring someone along. Is he a candidate for your successor? You are at that age, after all." Chêne sweat dropped. Why did Ciel always have to provoke people like this? It was no small wonder that Randall hated his guts.

"If you hadn't made an appearance at the crime scene, he would never have come to know anything." Randall replied sternly, clearly chagrined.

"I don't mind having him know, but..." Ciel said as he, Sebastian and Chêne paused to turn and face him. Sebastian and Chêne's eyes widened slightly when they saw what was behind them. "... You're the one who cannot afford to have our relationship become public, right?" Ciel continued calmly as he quickly turned around and continued on his way, acting as though he hadn't seen the doors behind them start to open again.

"_!_?" Chêne said, surprised when an out of breath Agni stood in the now completely open doorway. Sebastian seconded that emotion. It looked like Agni had sprinted all the way there... he must have climbed out of a window and run around to enter through the front door, in order to escape the hallway when he couldn't win against Sebastian's inhuman strength. Impressive. Too bad he had such rotten timing. Before Agni could get a second wind, Sebastian and Chêne zoomed across the room and slammed the doors shut in his face.

_BANG!_

"_!_?" Ciel said, startled, as he, Randall, and Abberline all jumped slightly at the unexpected and loud sound. They all slowly turned to glance back at the butler and maid, giving them identical expressions that showed they were wondering what the hell that had been all about. Chêne smiled wryly and sweat dropped, not quite sure what excuse she should make.

"I beg your pardon. The door was open, so..." Sebastian stated calmly, smiling a wry shit-eating grin, as he leaned against the doors to keep Agni from opening them again. He hadn't anticipated that it would be so loud.

"It seems to have gotten more difficult to close correctly." Chêne added, backing him up. "Shall I take a closer look later to see what the problem is?"

"If the door fits poorly, have it fixed at once." Ciel told her.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian and Chêne replied respectfully as they let the others walk a little further ahead before confronting Agni.

"_... Mister Agni...!_!" Sebastian stated darkly, his face cast in shadow as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. He was starting to run out of patience. _"Please stop this immediately!"_

"I have made my decision. Otherwise, god—" Agni started to plead his case, but Chêne cut him off.

"_So have we!"_ Chêne whisper-yelled as she locked the doors while Sebastian held them shut. She admired Agni's strong sense of ethics and justice, but now was not the time for that!

Sebastian and Chêne quickly caught up with the others as they came to the section of the manor that Chêne had set up as a kind of art gallery to show off the best paintings in the Phantomhive family's collection.

"Myyy... But this is a gorgeous gallery. There are so many paintings..." Abberline said, deeply impressed by all the exquisite artwork hanging on the walls.

"Hmph! All of these paintings are gloomy_!_! They are indeed worthy of a hive of phantoms!" Randall huffed. Chêne frowned slightly. It was true some of the paintings had less than happy themes for their subject matter, but they were all masterpieces that deserved respect. Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean it isn't art.

"This!" Abberline gasped suddenly when he spotted one particular painting of a beautiful giver floating in water. "Why, if it's not Hamlet's Ophelia! Is it a... Millais?" He asked excitedly. Chêne smiled. At least someone here knew art when they saw it!

"Correct. Do you like the Pre-Raphaelites?" Ciel asked.

"I do! The muted colors have atmosphere, and..." Abberline chattered away cheerfully, happy to find someone willing to listen. Sebastian stopped listening after that when something else caught his attention out the corner of his eye.

"_!_?" He said when he saw that Agni was now outside the window on the opposite wall of the room, with his hands and face pressed up against the glass.

_SHHK!_

Sebastian immediately pulled the curtains closed, hiding the unreasonably persistent man from view.

"_!_?" Chêne said when she saw Sebastian swiftly but silently dash to one window after another, hastily shutting the curtains as Agni tried to peek through each one. She sweat dropped. She'd give him an 'A' for effort, but she wished he'd stop trying to get caught already... "Is that so? Perhaps you will find this painting interesting as well..." Chêne suggested politely as she gestured to a similar painting by another Pre-Raphaelite artist, trying to keep their attention on the wall to their right, so that they wouldn't see what was happening with Sebastian and Agni to their left.

"You own a Waterhouse too!" Abberline exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. It was absolutely beautiful!

"He appreciates art. Should you not seriously consider a transition of power?" Ciel asked Lord Randall, smirking slightly.

"Appreciating art does not make him of any use as a detective!" Lord Randall huffed indignantly, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. Really, now!

"Sorry, Sir..." Abberline apologized meekly, sweating nervously. He really didn't like being scolded by his boss...

"You're harsh." Ciel said, smirking slyly in amusement.

"Oh!" Abberline said suddenly, perking up again when he spotted an exquisite still life painting of a glass flower vase that was filled with tulips of various warm colors. It had been placed on a shiny, wooden table in front of a window. The artist had managed to capture even the minutest of details, including each individual leaf on the tree in the background, outside the window. "Which artist painted this one_!_? The attention to detail is amazing! It looks like one of the Pre-Raphaelites, but it has a much warmer and more inviting feel to it..."

"Thank you, Inspector. I'm flattered to hear such praise." Chêne said, smiling brightly at him.

"... _Eh?"_ Abberline said as he and Lord Randall both stared at her, stunned.

"Chêne painted that as part of a demonstration during one of my art lessons. There was a blank space on the wall, so it is currently being used to fill the void until I find another painting that catches my eye." Ciel explained nonchalantly.

'_Something that amazing is just being used as a placeholder...!_?' Abberline thought, flinching in shock. She was better than some of the professionals! Why was this woman working quietly as a maid when she had the talent to become a famous artist_!_?

"Everyone, this way please." Sebastian said calmly, holding the next door open for them as Ciel and Chêne continued on, undaunted. Sebastian showed them into a large foyer with more doors that lead to different rooms. Above them, a section of the hallway on the second floor was open, with a just a wooden railing in place, so that passersby could look down on the foyer as though they were standing on a balcony. "The table has already been set." Sebastian informed them as he gestured to the dining room's door.

"_!_?" Chêne said, doing a double take, when she saw Soma casually strolling in the open hallway, sticking out like a sore thumb. _"Sebastian...!"_ Chêne whispered urgently, tugging subtly on the sleeve of his coat.

"_!_?" Sebastian said when he looked up and spotted him too. If it wasn't one, it was the other! Chêne started trying to silently motion for Soma to leave when he stopped walking, and he seemed to understand, because he smiled and nodded. Chêne and Sebastian sighed in relief.

"_Heey, Ciiiel—!"_ Soma suddenly called out cheerfully, smiling as he waved at them._ "I've had my fill of that box! Let's play cards tog—_Mph!"

_WOOOSH!_

Before Soma could say anymore, Sebastian leaped high into the air, and onto the pseudo balcony. He covered Soma's mouth with his hand, silencing him, as he pulled him out of sight.

"_Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What!_?" Soma managed to stutter as Sebastian gripped his face firmly with one hand, turning blue with shock as he broke out in a nervous sweat. He was practically paralyzed with fear. '_Have I done something wrong!_?' He cried internally as the demon butler loomed over him ominously.

"Prince Soma." Sebastian said in an eerily calm voice.

"I thought I heard someone..." Lord Randall said suspiciously from below them.

"Is that so... Did you hear anything, Young Master?" Chêne asked Ciel, playing it cool, as she tried to cover for them. _Thank God no one noticed when Sebastian jumped a whole story in a single bound...!_

"It was simply your imagination." Ciel stated coolly, playing along.

"As we have guests this evening, would you please keep quietly to your room?" Sebastian asked (more like ordered) Soma as he removed the hand he had placed over the prince's mouth so that he could hear his response. He needn't have bothered, because Soma was too terrified to speak.

"_...!_!" Soma said, nodding his head vigorously to show that he understood. He was a white as a sheet.

"Now there is a good lad." Sebastian said, smirking. "Goodness." He said, sighing as he stood up again, releasing Soma. Soma sighed in relief as he held a hand to his chest, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. Ciel's khansama was even scarier than the goddess Kali on a rampage!

_KACHACK._

Sebastian froze when another door opened. _It was Agni again._ Chêne froze like a deer in the headlights when she turned to see who it was. Agni was just standing there in the open doorway, bold as brass. Before she had time to even think, Ciel and the two policemen had already started to turn towards him.

_WSH._

The room was suddenly plunged into total darkness. Every single one of the candles in the room had gone out.

'This must be Sebastian's doing...' Chêne thought as she heard someone moving about the room. With her slightly super-human vision, she could just make out the figures of Ciel, Lord Randall, and Abberline, so it definitely wasn't them shuffling around like that.

"What_!_? What is going on_!_?" Ciel demanded, caught off guard by the sudden change in his surroundings. Chêne gently squeezed his hand to let him know it was all right. Sometimes being in the dark reminded Ciel of things that would be best forgotten.

_CLATTER! _STOMP. THUD.

"_Ah–wah-wah-wah-wah! It's pitch dark! I'm scared!_" Abberline cried fearfully as he latched onto the nearest person, whoever they might be.

"_And you call yourself a detective!_?_ You should be ashamed of yourself!"_ Randall shouted at his subordinate incredulously as he tried to push whoever had grabbed onto him away with little success. _It had better not be that Abberline!_

FWSHM.

Chêne heard the faint, but distinct sound of a candle being lit on fire. Sebastian was now once again on the first floor with them, and he was now holding a candelabra in his hand to give the large, dark room some type of light source.

"My apologies. The lights seem to have gone out." Sebastian stated smoothly, just barely surpassing a smirk.

"Was it the wind or something, Sebastian?" Ciel asked as Lord Randall gave Abberline two lumps on the head for clinging to him, silently fuming over how pathetic his subordinate had acted in front of Ciel. Chêne sweat dropped. Maybe Ciel hadn't seen Agni after all, if he didn't realize the timely blackout was Sebastian's work. Besides, how could it be the wind when there were no open windows in this room?

"Yes. It was something... other than the wind..." Sebastian replied cryptically. Chêne sweat dropped. _Was that supposed to be subtle?_ "The dining room is that way. Come, let us go." The demon butler said calmly as he ushered them out of the room. As she closed the doors behind them, Chêne could have sworn she heard Agni's muffled voice, but she just shrugged it off. Had Chêne bothered to investigate, she would have found Agni hidden out of view from the inside of the foyer, struggling to try to break free from all the rope Sebastian had used to tie him up, and to get rid of the gag had been stuffed in his mouth to keep him from calling attention to himself until after their guests had left. Sebastian wasn't taking any chances this time.


	87. That Butler, Agitated3

I own nothing but my OC.

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><p><em><strong>That Butler, Agitated 3<strong>_

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><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

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><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_The dining room is that way. Come, let us go." The demon butler said calmly as he ushered them out of the room. As she closed the doors behind them, Chêne could have sworn she heard Agni's muffled voice, but she just shrugged it off. Had Chêne bothered to investigate, she would have found Agni hidden out of view from the inside of the foyer, struggling to try to break free from all the rope Sebastian had used to tie him up, and to get rid of the gag had been stuffed in his mouth to keep him from calling attention to himself until after their guests had left. Sebastian wasn't taking any chances this time._

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><p>"… Now, then." Ciel said once he and his guests were seated at opposite ends of the dining table. Sebastian and Chêne were patiently, waiting to serve Ciel and his guests. "As everyone has settled down, shall we move on to the main topic?" Ciel suggested.<p>

"That's right. I never wanted to visit this sort of eerie doghouse." Lord Randall said grudgingly as he removed a sealed envelope from his jacket and handed it to Sebastian, who came to retrieve it for Ciel, while Chêne left to fetch the bottle of champagne that had been selected as a treat for their guests for the resolution of the hanging incidents.

"I see…" Ciel said as he took the envelope from Sebastian and opened it. "So this latest incident was worth this amount?"

"_!_?" Abberline gasped in shock when he realized the slip of paper Ciel that had just removed from the envelope was, in fact, a check. Why would the commissioner give the young earl something like that…_!_?

"?" Chêne said, blinking in confusion when she saw the agitated detective upon returning with the chilled champagne that she had nestled in a bucket of ice. He looked like Luke Skywalker after Darth Vader had revealed that he was actually the young jedi's father. She must have missed something good…

"_That's––!_?" Abberline shouted incredulously, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"The lord's successor doesn't know yet?" Ciel teased Abberline, smiling slyly. "The commissioner of the Yard has been used by the queen for ages. He purposefully brings the bait to the 'doghouse'. In general, the Phantomhives are a secret committee that carries out special duties. Because of that, the funds for their activities and their rewards cannot be included in the national budget. The fact of the matter is… the ones who raise this money for us, is the police." Ciel explained coolly as Lord Randall grit his teeth in anger and frustration. The commissioner was mortified he couldn't refute the veracity of Ciel's statement. "On paper, it could be called 'reward money'. It is the same as when purchasing a new 'police dog'." Ciel concluded nonchalantly. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel really was turning into a bully… why did he have to look so happy when mocking others? She eyed Sebastian suspiciously as he took the bottle of champagne from her. He raised an eyebrow and stared back innocently at her, as if silently saying, 'Who, me?' She narrowed her eyes slightly at him.

_Yes, you!_

He just responded to her silent accusation with a radiant shit-eating grin, amused. He found that Chêne was rather adorable when she was upset. There was always a certain fire in her eyes…

"_Th-That can't be!_!" Abberline shouted in disbelief, refusing to let his noble image of the British police be shattered so easily. "_Isn't that as though it's bribe money––"_

"It isn't 'as though'." Ciel calmly interrupted. _"It's genuinely bribe money."_ The young earl stated matter-of-factly as he gave the naïve detective a slight, wry grin of dark humor at the irony behind an organization that was dedicated to 'justice' doing something as 'corrupt' as offering secret bribes. Abberline stared at Ciel, stunned. Lord Randall clenched his fist, unable to look at his subordinate's shocked and appalled face. Abberline might be a fool most of the time, but the bumbling detective at least had an admirable sense of honor and justice… to the point where he was almost too naïve for the job.

Chêne tilted her head slightly to the side in confusion as she watched. She didn't see what the big deal was… Why shouldn't Ciel receive compensation for all the work he did? Even if Ciel was rich, spending his own money on certain 'business expenses' for the queen would add up after a while. Let's be honest, who would want to do work that not only risked their life but lost them money? Especially when they could normally just relax and live the cushy life of an English noble? The least Queen Victoria could do was reimburse him for 'travel expenses' since Ciel never would've come to London otherwise. Besides, was it really that different from the reward money that the police would offer sometimes to the public in exchange for their cooperation to catch certain criminals? Chêne didn't think so. It was like having a hired consultant.

"It's a long standing tradition…" Ciel said, bringing an end to that particular topic, as he glanced at Chêne and Sebastian, letting them know that was their cue to get moving. "Now, to commemorate today's settlement of the case, I have had some champagne prepared for you gentlemen. Won't you celebrate with me?" He offered politely, returning to his role as a 'gracious' host.

"_But the culprit still hasn't been arrested––!"_ Abberline started to object.

"That's enough, Abberline." Lord Randall said sternly. "If Her Majesty and Phantomhive say it's over, then… The culprit no longer exists." He stated firmly as the doors to the dining room suddenly flew wide open.

_BAM!_

Ciel's eyes widened when he saw a rather exhausted looking Agni standing there, bold as brass. How had he escaped from all those ropes Sebastian had used to tie him up with––Was he some kind of Indian 'Houdini'_!_? He, Chêne, and Sebastian froze like three deer caught in the headlights, and Agni was the speeding eighteen-wheeler truck that was only seconds away from turning them all into road kill. It was too late to hide him this time. Randall and Abberline had already turned around in their chairs to look at him, slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of a complete stranger.

"_The truth about that case, is I––!_!" Agni started to shout anxiously, determined to do the right thing and confess his crimes.

"_Don't––"_ Chêne cried in alarm as she instinctively reached her hand towards the Indian man, praying Agni wouldn't get them all arrested for adding and abetting a known criminal, but before she could take another step, Sebastian swiftly but gently pushed her aside and aimed the bottle of champagne at his fellow butler and 'friend'. _'That stance…!'_ Chêne thought, eyes widening with realization, as she watched Sebastian push up on the cork with his thumb.

_POP!_

The cork shot across the room like a speeding bullet, propelled by all of the pent up pressure from the bubbly alcohol, and nailed Agni right on the chin.

"_Gyah!"_ Agni grunted in pain and surprise as he was sent flying backwards from the force of the impact. The cork rebounded of off the unfortunate man's face and flew up into the air in a graceful arc. Sebastian reached up and caught it in one hand, effortlessly.

'_D… D-Damn…!_!' Chêne thought, stunned. That had to have been_ one hell of a shot _to send a grown man flying like that_! Since when was the carbonation from champagne that violent!_?

"My… I apologize. Are you all right?" Sebastian asked innocently. Chêne sweat dropped. He didn't look very 'apologetic' at all…

Poor Agni couldn't even speak, but he nodded his head as he held a hand over his aching mouth. He had started to tear up a little from the throbbing pain. Chêne hoped that little stunt hadn't broken any of Agni's teeth… Victorian era dentistry was borderline torture. Still, that had been some quick thinking on Sebastian's part. At least they should be safe, now that––

"A-ah, I'm starving." Soma moaned pitifully as he staggered into the room, looking extremely pale and weak from hunger. He hadn't had anything to eat for _hours_ now. "Before they find me, I should…" Soma froze in his tracks when he realized he wasn't alone. They were all staring at him. It was so awkwardly silent in that room, that you could hear a pin drop.

"Who are these people?" Lord Randall asked as he watched Soma turn blue from shock and nervously inch towards his trusted khansama for safety. "They're… Indians?" He asked, puzzled. Why were Indians in the country manor house of an earl?

"Lord Randall, I apologize for the fuss." Sebastian said calmly, being the first to recover from their series of shocks. "These people are…" He said, glancing at Ciel to let his young master know that he should be the one to come up with an excuse since they were _his_ guests. Ciel sighed, chagrined.

"This is the Prince of Bengal, Soma, and his servant, Agni. They are my good friends who are staying here while they study English culture." Ciel stated calmly. He figured that should be an acceptable explanation for the two policemen. Soma stared at Ciel in awe, blushing slightly, as he suddenly lit up with joy.

"_Ciel! You finally admitted it~!_!" Soma shouted happily as he glomped Ciel, glowing with the radiance of a thousand white-hot suns. _"You really do think of me as a friend~!"_

"Who is your frien––_Guuuah."_ Ciel started to ask incredulously before grunting in pain as Soma squeezed him tightly. Chêne sweat dropped as she watched Ciel start to turn blue from lack of oxygen… apparently, Soma's friendly affection was too much for him.

"Wow, such a pure smile… I haven't seen a (honest) happy face that blindingly radiant in a while." Chêne commented, smiling wryly as Ciel struggled to break free and preserve whatever was left of his dignity after being embarrassed so in front of Lord Randall.

"Indeed." Sebastian replied dryly, barely managing to suppress a smirk as he held in his laughter. Unfortunately, he was still on duty at the moment, and a proper butler should not laugh at his master's expense… no matter how amusing it was.

"Ciel~!" Soma sang happily, completely oblivious to the younger boy's mortification and suffering despite all the struggling.

"It hurts, stop it!" Ciel shouted indignantly as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. Lord Randall sweat dropped, not quite sure how he should react in this strange situation... He had never seen Ciel act like a normal little boy before… Was he really seeing this? His attention was drawn away from the comic scene, just as Chêne finally went over to help pry Soma off of Ciel, when Sebastian began to fill his glass with champagne.

"To settle this incident, you also went through many difficulties. Please, let me offer this in congratulations." Sebastian explained humbly when he saw the commissioner stare at the bottle in his hand. Ciel furrowed his brow slightly as he sighed in relief, finally free from Soma's vice-like embrace. To think that Lord Randall, of all people, had seen him like that… He softly cleared his throat before addressing the entire room.

"Then, for safely bringing another conflict to an end, Cheers!" Ciel toasted dutifully as he and all of his guests raised their crystal flutes of champagne. Chêne smiled as she watched the atmosphere in the room lighten. Thank God everything had ended so peacefully.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that night…}

"_I am so very sorry!"_ Agni shouted earnestly as he prostrated himself before Ciel. _"If Mister Sebastian hadn't stopped me, then…!_!"

Lord Randall and Detective Abberline had already left once they finished their meal, so it was safe to speak about the truth behind those incidents again, without implicating themselves as accomplices for aiding Agni and Soma. However, after all the trouble their guests had caused, Ciel had wanted to set them straight, and Sebastian and Chêne were completely in agreement with that sentiment. Chêne even had them kneel in front of Ciel's chair in _seiza_ while they apologized and tried to explain themselves_._ Soma was actually starting to tremble from the 'pins and needles' sensation that was running through his legs after staying in such a strange position for so long. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head. Even with Soma looking so pitiful, he was far too irritated by the whole affair to let their idiotic behavior slide with just a simple apology.

"_I couldn't care less if you turned yourself in at a place to which I have no connection! As it is, this is my home, so I would be caught up in it too!"_ Ciel snapped sternly, crossing his arms, as he scowled at the Indian Prince and butler that were groveling at his feet. Sebastian sighed while Chêne sweat dropped as she sipped on Ciel's leftover glass of Champagne. Since Ciel was still just a preteen, and Chêne was old enough to drink in this era, they had developed a system where if Ciel would have adult guests who drank alcohol, he would have one glass poured for him to toast with, take one sip out of politeness, and then pass it off to either Chêne or Bard to finish later, so that such expensive liquor wouldn't go to waste. She usually let Bard have it since technically she wasn't of the legal drinking age in our world yet, but cleaning up after Agni's multiple attempts of martyrdom had left both her and Sebastian feeling a little exasperated. They were just glad it was over now.

"That is right, Agni! Don't trouble my friends." Soma chided his faithful khansama firmly. He wasn't really mad, but he furrowed his brow slightly to show how serious he was. "And you are forbidden from turning yourself in! That's an order!" He commanded, causing Agni to flinch in shock. Agni looked deeply conflicted for a few moments as he struggled internally over this moral dilemma, but eventually, his loyalty to following Soma won out in the end. Agni sighed humbly as he bowed his head in defeat. If that was what his prince, his god wanted, then Agni could not refuse.

"≤Jo aagyaa≥…" Agni said solemnly, pledging his loyalty and silence. Soma beamed at his servant in approval while Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne sighed tiredly. Well, that settled that. If all it took was one word form Soma, then maybe they should have thought to do this sooner and save themselves the trouble…

"Then, since we have received permission to stay here from our _dear friend_, Ciel, to stay here, let's go to bed." Soma added matter-of-factly, with a serious gleam in his eye. He wasn't going to forget about what Ciel had said back in the dining room anytime soon.

The young earl sweat dropped as he face-palmed. What on earth had possessed him to use such a phrase to describe this spoiled and dense prince…? He decided that he really should try to be more careful in the future. His spontaneous choice of words was probably going to haunt him now.

"Yes." Agni agreed pleasantly, back to his smiling self now that everything had been settled.

He looked so refreshed, that Chêne could have sworn she saw spring flowers pop up around the Indian butler. She sweat dropped. Well, that was a nice, but really abrupt change of face… She glanced at Ciel, wondering how he was going to handle this since he had obviously been against letting their new friends cramp his style any longer. Ciel sighed resignedly. He had walked right into this one… however, he had no intention of admitting defeat yet.

"… Fine. I shall let you stay at my manor." Ciel stated calmly, causing Chêne to raise her eyebrows slightly in surprise for his compliance. "_However!_!" He added suddenly with a cunning gleam in his eye, pointing a finger at Soma. "People who do not work cannot eat." He declared, borrowing one of Chêne's pet phrases.

Soma stared at Ciel, seemingly dumbfounded.

"Work?" Soma asked, puzzled, not entirely sure he had just heard Ciel right. "Me, a prince?" This concept was completely foreign to the Indian prince. It was like Ciel had just told him curry was bland, or something equally unreal.

"Indeed." Ciel replied coolly with a scheming glint in his eye. "In return, I will pay you. In other words, that is money you will earn through your own work. You want to become a great man, independent of your parents, correct?" Soma immediately perked up when he heard Ciel's explanation, and his eyes sparkled innocently out of admiration for his friend's generous plan.

"That's right~! What should I do?" Soma asked enthusiastically, smiling brightly at Ciel with all the radiance of the sun. Ciel furrowed his brow slightly as he turned away from the prince's blinding innocence, slightly chagrined. He hadn't expected such an extreme show of joy… However, Ciel smirked slightly as he turned back to Soma again.

"Let's see… How about managing my townhouse in London with Agni?" Ciel suggested thoughtfully. "It is a very difficult job. I wouldn't ask just anyone. Can you do it?" He asked Soma a little coyly, earning him a glance from Sebastian and Chêne. Chêne smiled wryly.

'So, that's what he's doing…' Chêne thought, shaking her head a little at Ciel's sly use of reverse psychology.

"_I'll do it!_!_ Leave it to me!_!" Soma declared enthusiastically, pumping his fist in the air excitedly as he jumped to his feet from his kneeling position on the floor. "Uwaah! _Owwww! My feet hurt!"_ Soma shouted and flinched in surprise and pain when all the blood rushed back into his numb legs. It felt like thousands of tiny needles being stuck into them, like a pincushion. He nearly fell over when his knees buckled under him after suddenly being forced to support all of his weight again.

"Prince, be careful_!_!" Agni warned anxiously as he too struggled to stand so he could support Soma.

'With this, things will finally start to quiet down.' Ciel thought, sighing for what felt like the hundredth time that night, as he ignored their plight and left the room on his own, not even bothering to look back. Ciel still had some paperwork to see to. He was too busy to waste time on their shenanigans.

"…" Sebastian said as he stared after his young master. It seemed he had finally figured out how to handle their unusual guests.

"… You think maybe I over did it with the seiza?" Chêne asked Sebastian thoughtfully as she watched Agni and Soma stagger around the room, trying to get their balance back in their legs after sitting on them for so long. If you weren't used to it or did it wrong, sitting in Japanese seiza could be really painful if your legs went numb… She furrowed her brow slightly out of concern.

"Not at all. I find it rather amusing." Sebastian replied easily, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin. Indeed, it seemed to be a most affective and appropriate punishment for two people who had been running around so haphazardly just a while ago. They would surely remember to be more likely to avoid any behavior that would result in experiencing such an unpleasant sensation again.

"No, that's not really what I meant…" Chêne said, sweat dropping. "… I guess I should've known better than to ask a sadist something like that." She sighed as she stared at her handsome 'fiancé'. It was kind of a shame the wedding was just pretend, but on the other hand… thinking about what her future might be like with a sadistic demon as a husband, she wasn't sure how long she'd survive a relationship like that… Chêne had a feeling that she probably didn't want to know…


	88. That Butler, Engaged

Author's note: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I had finals, and my mom is having an operation sometime this week, so I'll be taking care of her for a while, but I'll try not to take too long to update ^_^ Hope you like it!

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Engaged<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_She sighed as she stared at her handsome 'fiancé'. It was kind of a shame the wedding was just pretend, but on the other hand… thinking about what her future might be like with a sadistic demon as a husband, she wasn't sure how long she'd survive a relationship like that… Chêne had a feeling that she probably didn't want to know…_

* * *

><p>{The following Morning…}<p>

"Bye! Take care!" Chêne called after Agni and Soma as they left in the carriage Ciel was lending them in order to ensure their swift departure from his manor to the London townhouse.

"Don't forget to write, yes!" Mei-Rin called, waving her handkerchief. She was really going to miss their strange but very nice new friends.

"Bye-bye~!" Finni said cheerfully, smiling brightly as he waved energetically at them.

"Don't hesitate to call us if ya need somethin'!" Bard shouted, grinning.

"Goodbye, Ciel! Feel free to come visit me if you get lonely~!" Soma shouted back at them as he leaned out of the carriage, grinning.

"As if I would! It's _my_ townhouse, remember!" Ciel snapped incredulously, vein mark throbbing on his forehead.

"Thank you for everything, friends! Farewell, until we meet again~!" Agni called cheerfully as he too waved goodbye.

"Yes, until then." Sebastian said, smiling slightly as he snickered at Ciel's reaction. He wouldn't miss the prince's troublesome behavior, but it was a shame he wouldn't be able to witness such amusing reactions from Ciel as often now. Ciel turned to his servants, vein mark throbbing on his head.

"Sebastian, prepare the other carriage." The young earl ordered sternly. "Chêne, I want you and the others to fetch the luggage. We shall depart for our own destination immediately."

"Are you going somewhere, young master?" Finni asked curiously.

"Yes." Ciel stated calmly as Sebastian drove up in the carriage, having already accomplished the simple task with his usual inhuman speed and efficiency. "And you lot are coming along as well."

"Eeeh_!_?" The other servants shouted in surprise. They were being allowed to come along on two trips in row_!_? Was this really the young master, or some kind of imposter_!_?

"Hoh, hoh, hoh." Mister Tanaka laughed softly as he sipped his tea.

=†=†=†=†=

{On the road, inside Ciel's carriage…}

"Are you sure about this?" Ciel asked Chêne. She was going over the facts of the case with him again while Sebastian drove their carriage. She nodded.

"Yes. We've narrowed it down to three possible suspects. Based on the information Sebastian has gathered already, I'd say we're looking at someone who meets the following requirements: A person who was present at all four wedding ceremonies, A person whom the wedding parties would not find suspicious if they were seated among them inside the church, someone who had spoken to at least one member of the couple before or at least saw the bride, and someone capable of concealing a gun on their person before anyone even noticed they had drawn it and where the cops wouldn't find it after searching them." Chêne explained.

"Wait, you said inside the church… Does that mean you disagree with the local police's theory that this was done by a sniper? I do not see how someone could avoid being spotted when pulling a gun in a crowded church." Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. Sebastian had said the couples had been shot just before they passed through the doors to leave the church.

"Yes, but all of the victims, except the one groom, were shot _in their backs_." Chêne explained significantly. "If the shooter was firing into the church from the outside, then they should have been facing towards the shooter and been hit in the _front._" Ciel's eyes widened slightly in realization.

"In other words, they were shot after passing the shooter by…" Ciel said thoughtfully as he held his chin. "The shooter must have been sitting in one of the church pews, towards the back. And the reason the groom was shot in the front, was because he turned to face his bride when he tried to shield her.

"Yes, that couple was targeted third, so there were already theories about a sniper circulating through the town. He probably just assumed the bullet was coming from the outside, but the shooter panicked and took him out too when he moved unexpectedly. He would've been in a position to look the killer right in the face once he had turned around." Chêne said, nodding in agreement. "That means the cameraman can't be the shooter, because he was already set up outside the church to take their pictures as they came out, but the blinding flashes from his camera had probably helped keep people from seeing the killer pull out their gun. If the photographer was using a flash pan, then no one would be trying to look directly at the couple, or those close to them, as a precaution to prevent getting an eyeful of that painful glare. The couple normally wouldn't be looking back at their guests either, because Sebastian told me it's currently a custom for the newly married couple to look forward and not stop to greet anyone on their way out."

"So, the shooter probably had an aisle seat at the back and waited just until they had been passed by, and the flash went off, to shoot…" Ciel said thoughtfully. "I assume Sebastian has already obtained the guest lists of each wedding party, then?" Chêne nodded.

"There weren't any common guests officially registered on the lists of invites, but the photographer was present at most of the weddings. Sebastian said the priest remembered seeing the florist there too, but that's because she has a habit of staying to watch the ceremonies once she finished setting up all of the floral arrangements. However, the priest didn't find that suspicious, because she was also present at weddings where there were no incidents." Chêne explained. She sighed as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "More than that, just when did you tell Sebastian to look into this? And won't people be suspicious that he was asking so many questions before just suddenly disappearing to return to us?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Perhaps, but as Sebastian decided to lead them to believe he was concerned for the safety of his… bride… it wouldn't be too far fetched for him to behave in such a manner." Ciel said, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Wait, what's with that extremely awkward pause you just made before saying 'bride'? And from what you just said, it sounded like Sebastian put this wedding charade in motion on his own… I thought this was your idea, to end this investigation faster?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly in suspicion. Ciel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, avoiding her gaze.

"Yes, well… I had only ordered him to investigate without letting anyone know the Queen's Watchdog was on the case, until we knew more. I never thought he would pull something like this…" Ciel explained reluctantly, chagrined by Sebastian's willful actions. "As for why I paused, well… It seems he implied that there were circumstances where he felt uneasy leaving you on your own for too long." He mumbled, blushing slightly out of embarrassment as he remembered what Sebastian had told him when asking for permission to carry out the little act he had already set into motion, before they had even informed Chêne of their new mission. He wasn't sure he wanted to be in such a confined space with Chêne when he told her this part of the cover-story.

"And these 'circumstances' are…?" Chêne asked, crossing her arms as she stared at the younger boy expectantly. She had a feeling Sebastian and Ciel had neglected to tell her something that she probably wasn't going to appreciate hearing, but needed to know.

"… It seems he implied that, like the other victims, your wedding is a rushed one, due to your being afflicted with a certain… _condition_…" Ciel explained, sweating nervously as he avoided eye contact with her. Why did he suddenly feel like he was being interrogated? He was just barely managing not to squirm guiltily in his seat under the pressure. He doubted Chêne even realized the effect she was having…

"… You mean, I'm supposed to be ill or something?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion. "I didn't realize the other brides had 'conditions' like that. Sebastian said they were 'rushed weddings' but he didn't say why." Ciel nearly face-palmed. Why did Chêne have to be so dense today, when she was normally so sharp about these things? Was she purposefully playing dumb to mess with him_!_?

"No, in this case, a 'rushed wedding' implies that those women were… They were… pre-pre-preg––_with child._" Ciel stuttered awkwardly, blushing furiously. He couldn't believe she actually made him say such a scandalous thing! There were just some things you didn't talk about in polite conversation in Victorian era England!

"…" Chêne stared at him, stunned. "You don't mean… Sebastian… _Sebastian told them I was pregnant!_?" She shouted, beyond shocked as she shot up off the seat with so much force, that she hit her head on the roof of the carriage. _"Agh!"_ She winced in pain, and rubbed the bump on her head as she recklessly threw the door open and leaned out.

"Wait, Chêne! Be care––" Ciel started to shout, but his warning fell on deaf ears, because Chêne used her own momentum to swing herself up and over, landing gracefully on the coach's seat beside Sebastian, as the carriage door slammed shut again, leaving Ciel alone inside of it. "…" Ciel said as he stared at the closed door. Was it just him, or was Chêne getting more reckless by the day…? Normally, she would avoid doing something so outrageous and dangerous…

—^—^—^—

"Sebastian Michaelis…_ you've got some 'splaining to do!_!" She scolded him dangerously, vein mark throbbing on her forehead as she grabbed him roughly by the collar of his black overcoat. "What the hell have you been telling people_!_? They're gonna think I'm some kind of cheap harlot_!_!"

"My, there is no need to be so shy, Chêne." Sebastian deadpanned, not the least bit perturbed by her outburst, as he continued to calmly drive the carriage on. "I don't mind you holding on to me, but it does make it a tad more difficult to steer." He added slyly, smirking coyly at her.

"I'm not being shy––_I'm ticked!"_ Chêne snapped, blushing furiously, as she released her grip on him. She huffed indignantly as she crossed her arms and turned away from him as much as the limited space on the driver's seat would allow. "It might be fun for you to joke around like this, but this is my reputation you're ruining here! Even if it's a lie, people are gonna look at me funny from now on, you know_._ This time period is pretty harsh on women. A woman's reputation is the only thing she's got going for her in this pre-women's rights world!" She added seriously. If she were back in her own world, she wouldn't really give a damn what people thought, since she could make it on her own there as an independent woman, no problem. She noticed Sebastian had a strangely serious expression on his face as he glanced at her. "…What…?" She asked, suddenly feeling a little uncomfortable under his unwavering gaze. Sebastian exhaled and closed his eyes briefly before glancing back at the road again. In a way, it amazed him how someone who could exhibit such sharp intuition and keen reasoning skills could be so slow sometimes, but that was just part of what made Chêne 'Chêne'.

"Chêne, as butler of the Phantomhive manor, do you really believe I would do anything to besmirch the Phantomhive family name? If the butler and the head maid had an affair that resulted in a child conceived out of wedlock, it would indeed be quite the scandal. I never once said anything to that effect to any of the villagers I spoke to. I simply expressed concern for my fiancée's safety after hearing a nasty rumor of the recent murders, and a wish to return to your side as soon as possible." He explained calmly. "They were the ones who inferred you were in a delicate 'condition'. I simply did not correct them after overhearing them gossip amongst themselves."

"… Oh." Chêne said, feeling a little embarrassed for over-reacting now. She should've known better. Even if Sebastian loved to mess with her and Ciel, he wouldn't do anything that would interfere with his aesthetics as a butler of Phantomhive. "Um, sorry for jumping to conclusions, then?" She apologized meekly, still a little confused about the discrepancies between the demon butler's and Ciel's stories, as she rubbed the back of her neck and smiled wryly at Sebastian.

"So long as you understand." Sebastian replied calmly. He glanced at her again. Chêne appeared to be reflecting on her actions properly as she twiddled her thumbs, and pouted a little, unconsciously. Sebastian smiled slightly. She resembled a sulking kitten when she looked like that, rather adorable. "Also…" Sebastian continued, drawing Chêne's attention again. "I would not let just anyone bear my offspring, you know." He said softly as gently caressed her face with one of his hands.

"?" Chêne said as she stared up into his steady crimson eyes, slightly taken aback. She couldn't bring herself to do anything other than gaze back at him. She had never seen such a look in the demon's eyes before… not even when he was cuddling an entire herd of adorable kittens… Sebastian was staring at her as though she were something he truly wished to treasure. "… Sebastian, you…?" Chêne started to ask softly, almost afraid that speaking up would break this moment between them, and she might never see him look at her like that again.

"Ah! I think I can see the village~!" Finni shouted excitedly as he leaned out of the horse-drawn cart that the others were riding in behind them, shattering Chêne and Sebastian's brief moment to themselves. Chêne blushed furiously when she realized the others were catching up, and they were no longer alone. "I-I'll go let Ciel know we're almost there!" She nervously mumbled, excusing herself, as she carefully climbed back inside the carriage to rejoin Ciel, too embarrassed to remain sitting next to Sebastian after their little moment. Sebastian sighed in disappointment as he readjusted his grip on the reins again.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue in irritation at the others' horrible timing.

Really, just when things were getting good… Perhaps they should have left the others behind, after all?

* * *

><p>Another note: I tried finding some info about Victorian wedding ceremonies, but other than some of the customs for what to do on the way to church and after you leave, it was pretty vague about what actually happened inside the church for some reason, so I'll probably just wing it when we get to that part... Let me know if you have any suggestions?<p> 


	89. That Butler, Engaged2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Engaged 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Ah! I think I can see the village~!" Finni shouted excitedly as he leaned out of the horse-drawn cart that the others were riding in behind them, shattering Chêne and Sebastian's brief moment to themselves. Chêne blushed furiously when she realized the others were catching up, and they were no longer alone. "I-I'll go let Ciel know we're almost there!" She nervously mumbled, excusing herself, as she carefully climbed back inside the carriage to rejoin Ciel, too embarrassed to remain sitting next to Sebastian after their little moment. Sebastian sighed in disappointment as he readjusted hi grip on the reins again. Really, just when things were getting good… Perhaps they should have left the others behind, after all?_

* * *

><p>"Yaaay~! We're finally here~!" Finni cheered happily as he bounced up and down in his seat, eyes sparkling with excitement, as he looked around in every direction he could manage, as they rolled down the road behind Ciel's carriage.<p>

"It's so exciting, yes it is~!" Mei-Rin gushed enthusiastically. "I can't believe Miss Chêne really asked me to be her bride's maid~!" Chêne and Ciel had already explained the situation to the others before their departure.

"Hoh, hoh, hoh." Mister Tanaka chuckled softly in agreement as he drove the servants' carriage. They had finally arrived in the neighboring town of Penbrook, the location of their latest case. Actually, even though it was called a town, Penbrook was closer to being a village, judging by the sparse amount of locals out and about. It did have a certain quaint charm, though. The air was even fresher out here than at the Phantomhive manor since they were even further away from the city. Bard smirked wryly as he took a drag on his cigarette and exhaled.

"Yeah, never thought I'd actually see the day those two got hitched… even if it's just a cover." The chef said, shaking his head out of bemusement. "But, we're not here to play. Chêne's gonna be in serious danger posin' as a bride, so we have to stay on our guard, got it?" He reminded them seriously. After hearing the details of this investigation, Bard had been surprised that Ciel and Sebastian would let Chêne become the target of a serial killer, but with them and Sebastian there to protect her, there was no way the shooter's bullet would hit its mark this time… as long as those two could stay focused and remember the wedding was all just for show… He sweat dropped. Mei-Rin and Finni looked like they hadn't heard a word he had just said, because they were happily chattering away without a care in the word.

'Sorry, Chêne… maybe you're not as safe as we originally thought…' Bard thought, sighing as he exhaled the smoke in his lungs.

=†=†=†=†=

{The town of Penbrook, the Black Pony Inn…}

"Right. We still have one hour to prepare ourselves, before we must be at the church for the wedding." Sebastian announced after consulting his pocket watch once they had signed in and brought the luggage up. Ciel had rented one room for the men to change in and one for Mei-Rin and Chêne to change in. Formal clothes were not meant to be traveled in, after all. Sebastian, Ciel, and Chêne had no doubts that if the three stooges had been allowed to wear their wedding clothes, _something_ would've happened to damage them. They're not sure what it might have been, but they weren't taking any chances. The Inn was within a stone's throw of the local Catholic church, St. Peter's, so it was within easy walking distance for the ladies in their dainty heels and elegant gowns.

"So, what're our parts again?" Finni asked Sebastian as he and Bard started pulling on their dress-shirts. Sebastian had already finished helping Ciel change, and Mister Tanaka was surprisingly fast for an old man, so the two of them had already gone downstairs to have some tea while they waited for the others to finish.

"You, Finni, shall be the ring-bearer. Be careful––_very careful_." Sebastian stated seriously as he handed Finni the small satin pillow the wedding ring was tied to. He didn't even want to think about what Chêne's reaction might be like if they lost the family heirloom he had ben given by Grandma Willow to use for just such an occasion... Sebastian pulled on his wedding jacket and straightened his tie. "And Bard will be playing the part of my groomsman." He added carelessly as he stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him.

"… Hey, wait a sec! Why did Finni get such a serious speech, when you said my role like it was an afterthought, dammit_!_?" Bard shouted incredulously after him.

"Ah, this is…!" Finni gasped when he looked at the ring on the pillow.

"Whoa…!" Bard said, his eyes widening when he too saw the beautiful ring. In this time period, it was more common for only one ring to be exchanged when the vows were said, as the custom of using double wedding rings for both the man and woman had not been established as of yet. Most wedding rings, especially those belonging to the lower class, were usually simple bands of gold with the couple's names and wedding date engraved into inside of the band. When wedding rings had jewels on them, the jewels were usually pearls and/or diamonds, but this ring… _this ring had diamonds and emeralds!_ The chef whistled in appreciation. The gems looked pretty high quality, and they sparkled in the light. The design was simple but elegant. This was not the ring of a serving girl! Just looking at it made Bard's wallet hurt. How on earth did Sebastian afford a ring like this_!_?

=†=†=†=†=

{Chêne and Mei-Rin's changing room…}

KNOCK. KNOCK.

"How are things progressing with your preparations, ladies?" Sebastian asked politely as he knocked on the door.

"Ah, Mister Sebastian!" Mei-Rin exclaimed, jumping in surprise, as Chêne finished helping her put the finishing touches on her bride's maid dress.

"Mei-Rin's good to go, so she's going to help me into my dress now!" Chêne called out as she started slipping off her black stockings, so she could change into the white ones that matched her wedding dress and shoes.

_KACHAK._

The two girls froze when the door opened just enough for Sebastian to slip inside. Mei-Rin was fully dressed, so she had nothing to be embarrassed about, but she was shocked Sebastian had just done such a thing while poor Chêne was sitting on the bed in just her undergarments and corset, in the middle of pulling the first white stocking up. She looked like an old-fashioned pin-up model in the pose she had accidentally frozen in.

"In that case, allow me." Sebastian said smoothly, smiling a radiant shit-eating grin as he took in the scene before him.

"M––_Mister Sebastian, you mustn't!_!" Mei-Rin shouted as she recovered from her shock, and jumped in front of the scantily clad Chêne to shield her from view. Chêne blushed cherry-red from head to toe as she face-palmed, too embarrassed and exasperated with Sebastian's bad habit of barging in on her to even bother yelling this time. For some reason, being caught pulling a stocking up in her undergarments while using the blue velvet garter that Nina had thrown in for her 'something blue' as a joke, was even more mortifying than when he'd seen her in just her bra and bloomers before… How did she keep ending up in situations that let Sebastian see her wearing so little anyway_!_?

"Do not worry, Mei-Rin. Chêne is perfectly safe with me. I simply wish to speak to her for a moment, alone." Sebastian stated nonchalantly as he herded the other flustered maid from the room easily, smiling that shit-eating grin of his. "We shall join you and the others downstairs momentarily."

"B-But––!" Mei-Rin started to protest. Sebastian promptly shut the door on her.

The room was completely silent for a moment as Sebastian held the door shut, and Chêne stared blankly at him, wondering if that had really just happened.

"Now." Sebastian said, smirking as he turned to face her. "Shall we––"

_SMACK._

"…" Sebastian said as the pillow Chêne had just thrown and hit him smack in the face with slid from his face and fell to the floor. "… Are you quite finished?" He asked dryly, a little impressed she had managed to hit him, but not really in the mood for domestic violence at the moment.

"Are you finished barging in on me while I'm trying to get dressed?" Chêne retorted from behind the changing screen that she had run to after throwing the pillow. "I now it's nothing you haven't seen before, but can't I have even just a little _illusion_ of privacy?" She asked, chagrined, as she pulled on her dress and tried to button as many of the buttons running up the back as she could. "Besides, it's bad luck to see the 'bride' before the wedding, you know."

"I do not know how that superstition came about, but you have nothing to worry about, Chêne." Sebastian said, whispering the last part in her ear as he walked around the screen and took over the work of fastening her dress's buttons. Chêne blushed, slightly chagrined at his continuation on ignoring her right to privacy and the little shiver she felt from his warm breath tickling her neck.

"If you just came to help me dress, Mei-Rin could've done that. Why do _you_ always have to insist on doing it? Sebastian smirked and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"S-Sebastian, what're you…?" Chêne asked, a little unnerved by how strange Sebastian was acting today. Sure, occasionally, he'd invade her personal space to mess with her, and she liked being held by him like this, but… Sebastian was not a 'hugger', and he wasn't the type to openly display his emotions so easily, either. If she didn't know any better, she'd think he'd been replaced by a body-snatching alien, or something.

"Perhaps, I simply do not want to share you with anyone else?" Sebastian said seriously.

"_!_?" Chêne gasped, eyes widening in surprise, when she suddenly found herself lying back on the bed with Sebastian looming over her. His crimson eyes glowed devilishly as he gazed down on her, softly caressing her lips with one of his gloved hands, while the other held her hand to his chest.

"You really are an interesting girl, Chêne. Time and time again, I have stated demons do not 'feel' the same way humans do. I truly believed that, and yet…" Sebastian mused as he held her hand to his lips and gently kissed her fingertips. "Will you marry me, Chêne?" He asked seriously as he caressed her hair. "I thought my blood contract with you would be enough, but the longer I am with you, the more I want. Even if you are bound to stay by my side for the rest of eternity, I cannot stand the thought that someday you might develop feelings for another… that you might let another man touch you. Heh. I suppose on earth this desire I feel for you is often called 'love'. In Hell I feign that they recognize it as hunger. Demons are very selfish creatures, Chêne. Once we find something we want, something that interests us… we will, without fail, seek to covet it for ourselves. Like a child enchanted by a butterfly gliding through the air, we will snatch it from the sky, and we will not stop until it becomes ours, no matter what means we must employ to obtain it. If it tries to fly away, we will pluck its wings. If it tries to crawl away, we will cut off its legs, and so on… this destructive hunger is said to be the closest thing to 'love' that my ilk is capable of."

Chêne furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. Although she was elated when he actually asked her to marry him, his words following his initial proposal were somewhat frightening. And yet, despite his cold words of a cruel and painful love, the demon she loved was staring down at her with the same tender look he had given her on the carriage…

"I want to cherish you. You're the first one I've ever met who makes me want to treat you gently. I want to protect you while you fly, rather than just entrapping you in a cage. Marry me, Chêne." He whispered softly, almost begging the petite girl in his arms, as he gently touched his forehead to hers. Chêne's eyes widened in surprise. Sebastian was not one to beg. Even though he would do anything once ordered by his contractor, Chêne knew the demon had a great sense of pride. He would never willingly expose what he would consider to be 'weakness' to another like this… However, she relaxed as she gazed softly into Sebastian's crimson eyes. There was no sign of hesitation. He truly meant every word he had just said. These were his true feelings for her, despite all of his teasing and harassment over the years. Sebastian would never lay bare his emotions like this unless he was completely and utterly serious. She reached up and gently caressed his cheek with her hand, smiling tenderly at him.

"I might be 'book smart', Sebastian, but when it comes to love, I'm a hopeless idiot. After all, I love you even though I know you're a sadistic demon, and I'm a non-masochistic catholic. As strange as it is, I honestly think I'd be able to be happy anywhere, as long as you're there with me. We'll probably have our ups and downs, like every other couple out there, but there's no one I'd rather face them with!" She said, smiling lovingly at him. Sebastian smiled.

"I take it you accept my proposal, then?" He asked coyly. Chêne blushed shyly as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"Does that answer your question?" She asked, smiling a little coyly at her soon-to-be husband, despite feeling a little embarrassed by her own boldness. Sebastian grinned, his eyes shining devilishly as he held his blushing bride.

"What on earth is taking you two so––_!_?" Ciel started to demand as he suddenly entered the room, without knocking. The young earl froze and turned blue with shock when he saw the extremely _compromising position_ that Chêne and Sebastian were in.

"… Do you mind, sir? _We were having a moment_." Sebastian deadpanned, staring accusingly at Ciel, as though he felt the boy interrupted before he could give kiss Chêne senseless on purpose. Was the entire universe conspiring to protect Chêne's chastity from him?

Ciel sweat dropped, wishing eye-bleach had been invented so he could un-see what he had just witnessed. For some reason, even though Chêne and Sebastian were both fully clothed, Ciel was feeling the same sensation of slight nausea and betrayal that most kids do when they walk in on their parents doing you-know-what…

"… I didn't ask about that, and I don't want to know… Just get up so we can get to church and get this over with_!_!" Ciel snapped back defensively, blushing furiously as he ran from the room.

"Is it just me, or did a really big misunderstanding take place just now on Ciel's part…?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. Sebastian smirked.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I found out that they commonly used only one ring for weddings back then, and I thought that would make sense for them to go along with, since then only Chêne would have to expose her left hand when removing her glove to put the ring on during the ceremony, and a little tattoo ring on her ring finger is easier to hide with make up than it would be to hide Sebastian's ring mark _and_ his covenant mark.


	90. That Butler, Engaged3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Engaged 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p>{In the Church of St. Mary Magdalene…}<p>

Ciel carefully scanned his surroundings from his seat in the pew. On the outside, the young earl appeared calm, with just a touch of impatience for the slow proceedings. Since they didn't think the killer would show if there wasn't a crowd for them to hide in, Sebastian had arranged for the wedding to be held in conjunction with one of the late morning masses. Ciel had to resist rolling his eyes as the priest, Father Paul, prattled on about the 'sacred beauty' of a couple being joined together in the sacrament of marriage, and how he hoped the rest of the young people in his 'faithful flock' would be able to find 'marital bliss' someday… He wondered how long that priest could keep that smile on his face if he knew the groom was demon from hell.

'Speaking of which…' Ciel thought as he glanced back at Sebastian, who was kneeling before the altar with Chêne, waiting patiently for the marriage rites to begin. 'How is a demon able to look so comfortable in a 'House of God'…?' He wondered, chagrined. He couldn't recall ever actually seeing Sebastian willingly enter a church before, and when he had questioned Sebastian about this, the demon had vaguely said it was simply 'a matter of respecting jurisdiction'… whatever the hell that meant. Apparently, it meant Sebastian really could do it if necessary, because Ciel, a human, didn't even like having to sit through mass when it was his own religion (let alone a catholic mass), and yet, Sebastian seemed to be practically glowing. Was it just his imagination, or was _that _demon radiating _happiness and pride!_? And Chêne seemed to be doing a little _too good_ of a job playing the part of a 'blushing bride' as well… She even looked a little love-struck. Well, he had to admit, she made a beautiful bride. Perhaps Elizabeth would like to have Nina design her bridal gown as well…

"My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church's minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions." The Priest said as he motioned for the couple kneeling before him and everyone else in the church to stand.

'Finally!' Ciel thought, sighing in relief. Now they were getting somewhere.

"Sebastian Michaelis and Chêne LeBeau, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?" Father Paul reverently asked the bride and groom. He looked to each of them, making sure they knew to answer separately, so he could be sure they had a chance to speak for themselves. Father Paul had already been fully informed by Sebastian of how this marriage, though intended as a way to lure out a criminal, was meant to join this couple together for real, with the full weight of the sacrament of marriage behind it.

"Yes." Sebastian replied dutifully.

"Yes, Father." Chêne replied respectfully.

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"We will."

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

"We will."

"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your right hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church." Father Paul told them, smiling paternally at the young couple as they held hands, and Chêne blushed while Sebastian smiled proudly at his bride.

"I, Sebastian Michaelis, take you, Chêne, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." Sebastian promised Chêne solemnly.

"And I, Chêne LeBeau, take you, Sebastian, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life." Chêne promised, smiling lovingly back at her husband as tears of joy started to form in her eyes. Ciel sweat dropped when he noticed that both Bard and Mei-Rin were already sniffling. They did remember this was just an act, right?

"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings." Father Paul announced. "What God has joined, men must not divide."

"Amen." The entire congregation replied dutifully. Father Paul raised his hands over the couple's heads as he recited their blessing for them.

"Lord, bless and consecrate Sebastian and Chêne  
>in their love for each other.<br>May this ring be a symbol  
>of true faith in each other,<br>and always remind them of their love.  
>Through Christ our Lord."<p>

"Amen." Sebastian, Chêne, and everyone else replied, bowing their heads in acceptance. Ciel nearly bit his own tongue out of shock when he caught sight of the _loving admiration_ in Sebastian's eyes as he gently removed Chêne's glove so he could place his new wife's ring on her finger. Seriously, even Sebastian was taking things a little far, now! Ciel had never, in his wildest imagination, thought his demon butler capable of outing on such a disgustingly, genuine-looking show of such _tender _emotions. _Was he trying to win an Oscar?_

"Chêne, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Sebastian recited dutifully as he slid the beautiful ring onto his wife's finger.

"Sebastian, I take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Chêne said, smiling brightly as tears of joy started to stream down her cheeks. Sebastian smiled indulgently at her as he shook his head slightly in amusement at her contradictory behavior, (really, Chêne could be such a contrarian) and carefully brushed aside her tears with his gloved fingers, while the choir sang a brief acclamation after the exchange of their vows.

"You may now exchange a kiss." Father Paul told the couple, smiling kindly at them. He hoped these two brave youngsters would be able to live a happy life together, and silently prayed that they would not fall victim to the shooter they were so courageously trying to catch.

Sebastian certainly didn't need to be told twice. He seized the moment (and Chêne's lips) without hesitation. Ciel's jaw dropped. He knew that a recent custom of allowing the couple to seal their vows with a kiss in front of the witnesses had started to come into practice in some areas, but he hadn't realized this was one of them! He hoped Chêne would forgive him for putting her in a position where her first kiss could be stolen from her like that… At least Sebastian had remembered to keep it PG while still under the roof of the church and in the eye of the public…

=†=†=†=†=

{Due to Ciel's preteen attention span and the author's hand cramp, we shall be skipping another chunk of the mass…}

As predicted, Ciel and Sebastian (being a member of the Anglican Church of England and a demon––and therefore, not Catholic) both abstained from taking communion. Ciel briefly wondered what would have happened to Sebastian if he had, but his musings were interrupted when the priest and everyone else stood again. Father Paul raised his hands again as he recited yet another blessing over Chêne and Sebastian.

"May God, the almighty Father,  
>give you his joy<br>and bless you (in your children)." Father Paul declared.

_"_Amen." Chêne and Sebastian said.

"May the only Son of God have mercy on you  
>and help you in good times and in bad." Father Paul continued.<p>

_"_Amen." Chêne and Sebastian said.

"May the Holy Spirit of God  
>always fill your hearts with his love." The priest added.<p>

_"_Amen." Chêne and Sebastian replied.

"And may almighty God bless you all,  
>the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Father Paul told the entire congregation as he made the sign of the cross.<p>

_"_Amen." Everyone replied.

"The mass is ended, go in peace." Father Paul dismissed them all, smiling jovially. Although he was still concerned for their safety, something told him this new couple would be just fine.

"Thanks be to God!" The entire congregation replied a little more enthusiastically than before as they smiled back at their priest.

'Yes, 'thanks be to God', the mass is over…' Ciel thought, sweat dropping. His knees and feet were sore from all the kneeling and standing he had to do. Still, this was no time to relax. Now that Sebastian and Chêne were starting to make their way down the aisle to leave the church, was when Chêne would be in the most danger.

Sebastian and Chêne calmly walked down the aisle together, followed by their small wedding party, and the priest and altar-boys, keeping their senses open and their bodies ready to spring into action at the slightest hint of trouble.

_GLEAM._

_BAAANG!_

Sebastian instantly swung Chêne around, out of harm's way.

"Wha––_!_?" The florist yelled incredulously, her eyes widening in shock, as she realized what was happening. Not only had the photography flash that usually covered her shot not gone off, but the groom had just spun his bride around in a circle to save her from being hit––and the bride's dainty white heels were currently hurtling towards her.

"––_Yah!"_ Chêne shouted as she swung her feet into the florist's gut.

THUD.

"…" The entire congregation said as they stared at the newly weds and the unconscious woman that was now lying on the floor, out cold. Apparently, having the wind knocked out of you, when you're already being squeezed by a corset, equals instant K.O.

"Miss Chênnnne! Mister Sebastiaaaan!" Finni and Mei-Rin cried as they rushed the couple, glomping them.

"I'm so glad you're safe, I am!" Mei-Rin sobbed emotionally as she pulled Chêne into a crushing hug.

"Geez, not that I'm really complainin' or nothin', but it looks like we weren't really needed after all…" Bard grumbled disappointedly as he rested his portable flamethrower on his shoulder. Sebastian and Chêne sweat dropped. Just what was he planning on doing with that thing?

"Where did you pull _that_ out from?" Chêne asked dubiously.

"More importantly, where are the handcuffs, Bard? It would be best to restrain the florist, Miss Pepperidge, here, before she regains consciousness." Sebastian stated coolly.

"Father Paul, was it?" Ciel addressed the priest, calling him to attention as he walked over to join them, looking pleased as punch that every thing had gone so smoothly. "Please feel free to herd your 'faithful flock' from the church. We shall personally deliver Miss Pepperidge to the proper authorities." He said, smirking slightly. Father Paul was a little unnerved by Ciel's smirk, but having already been apprised of Ciel's true identity, he complied with the young earl's request and began instructing the rest of the congregation on how to peacefully proceed from the building without interfering with Ciel and company.

"Father Paul!" Chêne called after the elderly priest, stopping him. She smiled warmly. "Thank you. It was a lovely service." She told him gratefully, giving a little curtsey. Father Paul nodded and smiled back at her before proceeding to lead the rest of the congregation out.

"Why did you thank him, Chêne?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion.

"Well, he did just marry us, you know." Chêne said, positively glowing and blushing a little, as she glanced at Sebastian, who smirked smugly at Ciel's shocked expression.

"Y-You mean… You two––_You didn't––!_?" Ciel sputtered incredulously, turning blue with shock as he pointed at Chêne and Sebastian accusingly. From the look on his face, you'd think Chêne had just told him the meaning of life was 42.

"Didn't what?" Finni asked innocently.

"Rest assured, Young Master, Chêne… rather, _Mrs. Michaelis_, is in very capable hands." Sebastian said smoothly as he wrapped an arm around his new wife and beamed a positively blinding shit-eating grin at them all. Ciel and the three stooges had to shield their eyes from the couple's combined brilliance.

"… _Eeeehhhh!_?" The three stooges shouted in shock and surprise as Ciel slumped in a nearby pew, looking very much like someone who wished to escape from reality… and the tension headache he now had.

"Hoh, Hoh, hoh!" Mister Tanaka laughed good-naturedly as he patted Sebastian on the back in congratulations.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I just want to thank everyone for suggesting such helpful cites to me for this arc. Also, I kept forgetting to mention this (^_^;) but I posted a link to a pick of Chene's wedding dress and wedding rings on my profile. You guys also get to help me pick what her ring looks like by picking an answer on the poll! I'll also use the next chap to clear up any confusion about what happened in this chap. I hope you liked it ^_^


	91. That Butler, All's Well That Ends Well

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, All's Well That Ends Well<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

"**Demonic speech"**

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Rest assured, Young Master, Chêne… rather, Mrs. Michaelis, is in very capable hands." Sebastian said smoothly as he wrapped an arm around his new wife and beamed a positively blinding shit-eating grin at them all. Ciel and the three stooges had to shield their eyes from the couple's combined brilliance._

"… _Eeeehhhh!" The three stooges shouted in shock and surprise as Ciel slumped in a nearby pew, looking very much like someone who wished to escape from reality… and the tension headache he now had._

"_Hoh, Hoh, hoh!" Mister Tanaka laughed good-naturedly as he patted Sebastian on the back in congratulations._

* * *

><p>{The next morning––Phantomhive Manor, the Downstairs…}<p>

"Hmm… I'm not really sure I get what happened yesterday…?" Finni said, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion as he and the other servants (minus Chêne and Sebastian) sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Chêne to come make breakfast for them, like she usually did. Bard sighed as he took a drag on his cigarette.

"Which part? Ya mean how the fake weddin' turned out to be real, or why that florist lady was killin' all them poor brides?" Bard asked, chagrined. He really hadn't seen either one coming. And to think, the reason they couldn't find the gun before when the police tried searching the church and guests, was because the woman had hidden it in one of the folds of her skirt's bustle! Who'd have ever thought to look there?

"Haah, they make such a lovely couple, they do~!" Mei-Rin sighed dreamily. It was a shame a fine man like Mister Sebastian wasn't on the market anymore, but she was thoroughly looking forward to seeing what their children would be like, once they got around to having some… Since it was so last minute, the newly weds didn't get a chance to plan a honeymoon, and they couldn't just leave the young master alone on such short notice, so they had to put that bit on hold for a while. However, Mei-Rin did notice the two of them slipping into the same bedroom the previous night, after they had tucked Ciel into bed upon their return home…

"Uh, yeah… sure." Bard said, sweat dropping as he watched the bespectacled maid's nose start to bleed. "Um, Mei-Rin… you got a little something'…" He said awkwardly as he pointed at his own nose to give her a hint that she should wipe her own. "Anyway, Finni. From what I gather, the wedding was originally meant to be just a cover, but Sebastian and Chêne decided to take advantage of the opportunity and get married for real, since they already had the paperwork and priest handy anyway. Haha, can't really say I blame Sebastian for snaggin' himself such a pretty bride!" He said, smiling ruefully. "As for that florist, Miss Pepperidge, I heard her motive for shooting all those poor women is because she killed the first bride out of jealousy. She's a really looney, that one! Apparently, she was in love with the first victim, and totally snapped when she heard she was gettin' hitched. One of those 'if I can't have you, no one will' nutters. Anyway, since she knew she'd be a suspect, she kept killin' brides that looked like her love to make it look like the work of a serial killer. I guess once she started, she just couldn't make herself stop."

"It's a good thing Mister Sebastian and Miss Chêne make such a good team~!" Finni said, smiling brightly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Phantomhive Upstairs, Ciel's bedroom…}

"Really, Young Master. Don't tell me you are still upset about what happened the other day? Are you not pleased that you were able to let her majesty know you managed to solve the case in time for today, Christmas Eve, to be able to be celebrated peacefully?" Sebastian asked Ciel, smiling his custom shit-eating grin at the moody earl. After discovering how Sebastian had taken advantage of the situation, he had been in a rather dark mood.

"Of course I'm 'upset'! How _dare_ you take advantage of the situation and move on your own like that_!_!" Ciel snapped bitterly, glaring at his demon butler, as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. "I've let you get away with teasing Chêne because it was mostly harmless, but… _you've crossed the line this time! Marriage isn't a game. Chêne takes things like this very seriously, and if you hurt her––"_

"Young Master." Sebastian said sternly, his eyes glowing slightly. Ciel froze, slightly startled by the cold look in his butler's eyes as he glared down at him. "That you would even suggest such a thing insults me. This may come as a shock to you, but while I admit that I find seeing Chêne's various reactions to certain circumstances rather entertaining, Inflicting any serious physical or emotional harm on her is the last thing that I would ever want." He stated seriously. Ciel grit his teeth as he stared up at the demon. He knew Sebastian was serious about Chêne now, however… He still didn't like the idea of her falling into the hands of this demon.

"Do you truly _love_ her Sebastian? Tell me the truth." Ciel ordered gravely. Sebastian sighed. He wished his young master would just accept it already.

"The truth is, Young Master, I probably love Chêne as deeply as it is possible for a demon like myself to love another––so much so, that I even went so far as to _bow my head before God for her_. I ask that you take that into consideration before questioning my devotion to her in her future." Sebastian stated solemnly. As he turned away from Ciel to start pouring the tea. Ciel didn't really have anything he could say to that. He hadn't even thought about what it would mean for Sebastian to kneel before the altar of God until now, since he had done so without complaint… although, thinking about it now, the reason Sebastian had been so compliant with his order to do so, must have been because of his plans for Chêne…

"Very well, then." Ciel said finally as he accepted his cup of tea from Sebastian, deciding to let the matter drop for now. If Chêne knew how opposed to their marriage he was, it would probably hurt her. "What's done is done. I'll give the two of you my blessing, if only for her sake, but Sebastian… If you make Chêne cry, I will forbid you form seeing her. Make Chêne happy, that's an order." Sebastian smirked.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian replied dutifully as he bowed to his young master. Really, he would have done that whether Ciel had ordered him to or not.

"Speaking of Chêne, where is she? Doing some last minute decorating?" Ciel asked as he sipped his tea.

"Ah, no. I decided to let her have her rest. I tried to be as gentle as possible, since it was Chêne's first time, but I'm afraid I might have been a little too… enthusiastic?" Sebastian said thoughtfully with a gleam in his eye as he remembered their wedding night. He hadn't really let Chêne get any actual sleep… Now his shit-eating grin looked more like what Lacey would have referred to as his 'rape face'. Ciel spit out his tea, hitting his chest as he coughed, nearly choking. "Oh my. Are you all right, Young Master?" Sebastian asked innocently, smiling that shit-eating grin of his.

"O-Of course I'm not all right_!_!" Ciel snapped indignantly, flushing bright red as a vein mark throbbed on his forehead. "Are you trying to kill me_!_? Don't talk about such things so early in the morning! Just because I gave you approval for Chêne's sake, doesn't mean I want to know what you two are doing behind closed doors, damn it!"

"My apologies, sir." Sebastian replied a little too patronizingly for Ciel's taste. "I thought perhaps you might be mature enough to hear such talk by now, seeing as, in just a few more years you and Lady Elizabeth shall be––"

"––_Enough!_!" Ciel shouted indignantly, slapping his hands over his ears to block out Sebastian's voice. He didn't want to even think about it. He was just thirteen years old, for crying out loud! Chêne was like an annoying but loving older sister to him! And what would sweet, innocent Lizzie think if she ever heard he might have had dirty thoughts about her_!_? "I can't hear you! I _refuse_ to hear you!" He said stubbornly. "Don't say anything more on the matter! As it is Christmas Eve, we shall all simply be taking it easy today and tomorrow. I have had enough 'excitement' between the hanging incidents and this last case to last me for quite some time!"

=†=†=†=†=

{Sebastian's Room...}

"Haah..." Sebastian sighed as he shut the door behind him. He felt like he might have a slight headache coming on after hearing the three stooges deafening yells of surprised exclamations when he had told them not to disturb Chêne's rest. Really, she was his wife, now. It would be strange if he_ hadn't_ made a move on her... The demon butler smiled slightly to himself as he took in the sight of his lovely wife curled up in his bed, just where he had left her. In the soft morning light, her silky chestnut hair and soft, porcelain skin seemed to have an ethereal glow about them. She furrowed her brow slightly, as she tried to bury her pretty face further into the pillow to hide from the sunlight, still a little reluctant to join the rest of the waking world.

"Mmn... Sebastian?" Chêne asked sleepily as she finally opened her eyes. She smiled when he sat down beside her on the bed, and snuggled closer as he gently stroked her hair.

"I didn't mean to wake you yet." Sebastian apologized, smiling wryly when she sighed blissfully, enjoying his company. If she were a kitten, she'd be purring...

"It's okay... I have to get up sometime..." She said, smiling, as she raised herself up enough to kiss him on the cheek. "We've still got to get ready for one of my favorite holidays, after all~!" She said playfully.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I hope that answered any questions you guys might have. Sorry if you wanted a little more Chêne and Sebastian 'action', but I'm trying to keep this rated 'T'. I might come back and add a Christmas story in here, but for now, I want to give Ciel a little break from partying before finally jumping into the circus arc––Yaaay~! (I added a link to my final costume decision for Chêne to wear on my profile.)


	92. That Butler, Onstage

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Onstage<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p>{Inside one of Scotland Yard's evidence rooms…}<p>

"…I must say… Lord Randall's absence is quite a boon for us." Ciel said as he glanced around at all the neatly organized files lining the shelves of the room.

"Yeah, normally, we'd have been kicked out by now." Chêne said as she helped Sebastian read through the police files and take notes on things they thought might be important. However, just because Lord Randall wasn't there, didn't mean the three of them were left alone in there.

"_Please, I'm begging you! If the Commissioner found out about this…"_ Abberline pleaded nervously with Ciel, fretting as he watched the two servants skillfully and efficiently scan over the classified documents. This room was supposed to have restricted access––not even most policemen could freely come and go in this room!

"It would be better if you didn't leave him to find out." Ciel advised the detective carelessly, as though their actions were no more serious than taking a leisurely stroll through the park.

"First of all––!" Abberline interjected. "How in the world did you manage to get into the third floor file room_!_?" He demanded incredulously, clearly not taking notice of the open window behind them.

"… Was it supposed to be hard?" Chêne asked innocently. The window hadn't even been locked…

"Miss LeBeau––_!_?" Abberline exclaimed, looking rather scandalized that such a sweet girl could say something so terrible so easily.

"Ah, it's actually 'Mrs. Michaelis' now." Chêne corrected him, smiling brightly, like an angel.

"Y-You don't say…?" Abberline asked weakly, looking like he just had his heart broken. "I suppose 'congratulations' are in order, then…"

"…" Sebastian and Ciel said as they glanced at the crestfallen man. Sebastian was really glad he had snatched Chêne up while he had such a perfect opportunity. It seemed Chêne had even more secret admirers than he had realized...

"Well, Sebastian?" Ciel asked, moving on to a less awkward topic, by prompting his butler to explain what he and Chêne had found so far.

"Of the children we have been asked to investigate, not one has been found dead." Sebastian reported.

"We're leaving as soon as you've copied it all down." Ciel said decisively.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied dutifully.

"Perhaps we ought to borrow the photographs just in case?" Chêne suggested. It would make identifying the children so much easier.

"_That would be most troublesome!_!" Abberline objected strongly. He was already in enough trouble for letting them see the files in the first place!

"If their loss is discovered, feel free to say I made off with them." Ciel said boredly.

"_I'll get even more of a scolding!"_ Abberline protested, paling slightly at the thought.

"Don't worry, Mister Abberline. We won't keep them long. They'll be returned once I've had a chance to copy them all." Chêne reassured him.

'Ah, that's right… this girl is an artistic genius…' Abberline thought, sweat dropping. She could probably duplicate the likeness of those photographs perfectly.

"You… erm, Master Underline?" Ciel addressed Abberline tentatively, as he turned to face him after taking Sebastian's stack of notes.

"It's _Abberline._" Abberline deadpanned, chagrined, as he sweat dropped again. Hadn't Mrs. Michaelis just said his name correctly a moment ago? Was he really so far beneath the earl's notice that he couldn't even remember his name over the span of a couple of seconds…?

"You've been a great help today." Ciel continued on while he read over their notes, as though he hadn't just been corrected. He waved his hand at Sebastian, gesturing for his butler to do something. "Your cooperation is much appreciated."

"…?" Abberline said, puzzled when Sebastian took his hand and pressed something into it. The detective's eyes widened in shock when he saw the coins that were now sitting in the palm of his hand. _Was this supposed to be some kind of bribe!_? _"I require nothing of the sort!_!" Abberline shouted as he seized Sebastian's hand and tried to return the money, feeling insulted that they would even try such a ploy on him. "I simply thought it would be best to employ _any methods necessary _to get to the bottom of this matter quickly. This is just––_!_!"

"Any methods necessary… hm? Your flexibility shows promise." Ciel told the straight-laced detective as he passed him by on his way out. "Hurry up on that promotion of yours… Master _Abberline._"

=†=†=†=†=

"We may still consider all the children missing." Sebastian said as they walked back to where they had left their carriage.

"That may be the case in polite society, but… in the underworld…" Ciel said thoughtfully as they all climbed back into the carriage, and he tapped on the roof with his walking stick to signal to the coachman that they were ready to go.

"Right, the first twelve hours when a child goes missing are the most critical." Chêne said knowingly, as she gazed sadly out the window. "The possibility exists that they may already be…" Sebastian squeezed her hand gently to reassure her. He knew this particular case must be bringing painful memories of her own abduction to the surface again. Chêne smiled gratefully at him and rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer to her hubby for comfort.

"…" Ciel said as he watched them. He was glad Sebastian really was taking care of Chêne, like he should, but… he wished the stupid couple would just get a room. He decided to be tactful and pretend he couldn't see the lovebirds by rereading his letter from the queen. It seemed there truly was no rest for the wicked, because this latest case had been brought to their attention shortly after Christmas. In addition to his usual instructions, three tickets to a circus called 'Noah's Ark' had been enclosed in the envelope. Much to Ciel's chagrin, Sebastian had proposed they might be a Christmas present for a 'darling little boy'. However, it was obvious that the inclusion of _three_ tickets, when it would've normally been only two, was the queen's own subtle way of saying she approved of the match between Chêne and Sebastian.

_To my darling boy,  
>Did you have a Merry Christmas? I made Christmas pudding with Phillip.<br>It turned out splendidly, and even John and Grey heaped their praises upon it too. I hope you will join us next time, my dear boy. Please give my regards to Mr. and Mrs. Michaelis as well.  
>Now to the matter of the tickets I have enclosed. Have you heard about the traveling circus making its way to London in the coming days?<br>They are a traveling troupe that visits various locales. However, the troupe's travels appear to coincide with any number of children going missing from the towns where they call. The police are doing everything they can to locate them, but the whereabouts of the children are as yet unknown. It seems the children suddenly disappear in the dead of the night… Almost as if… they have been taken away by the Pied Piper of Hamelin… The sorrow of losing a loved one is insufferable. I pray for the swift and safe return of these children to their families.  
>~Victoria<em>

"Young Master." Sebastian said, getting Ciel's attention as he folded the letter up and tucked it away in his coat. "If you are attributing this case to the underworld, will we be calling on _him_ again?"

"Asking him is always the quickest way to get the best information about these kinds of things…" Chêne said, smiling wryly.

"To be honest, I would prefer to avoid it, but…" Ciel said, sighing tiredly just thinking about it. "…" He said when he remembered something equally unpleasant.

=Flashback=

_{An hour ago at the townhouse…}_

"_Why, if it isn't Ciel~! You miss me already!_?_" Soma asked excitedly, smiling indulgently at Ciel as he laughed jovially, and Agni smiled happily in the background. "Why, you little boy blue, yooou~!_!_" He teased good-naturedly, treating Ciel like a helpless child._

=End Flashback=

"_I want to get back to the manor as soon as possible."_ Ciel muttered irritably, vein throbbing on his face, as he started to emit a dark aura, clearly irked by how he had been treated in his own townhouse. "_Let's go."_

"Very well…" Sebastian said as Chêne sweat dropped. So, it really was bothering him, after all…

=†=†=†=†=

"––Are you in… Undertaker?" Ciel asked as the three of them entered the creepy and dimly lit shop.

"… _Hee! Heee…"_ The undertaker cackled eerily from somewhere in the shadows. "_I bid yeeee weelcome, Lord Earl…"_

_GORO, GORO, GORO, GORO!_

Ciel flinched in shock when a skull suddenly rolled past his feet at top speed.

_PAKAAAAN––!_!

The skull slammed into a bunch of mini tombstones that had been lined up like bowling pins, knocking them all down.

"Ooh, it's a strike…" Chêne said, impressed. She knew firsthand that bowling with a skull was trickier than it looked, because Lacey had a similar set up at her house… only her plastic skull didn't look anywhere near as realistic as the Undertaker's…

"_Does your Lordship finally feel like stepping into the coffin that I've made specially for yoooou, hmm?"_ Undertaker teased Ciel.

"Why, you…" Ciel muttered, chagrined, as the three of them turned to face the cackling man, who was carelessly tossing another skull up and down in one hand.

"_In any case, I hear congratulations are in order for the happy new couple…?"_ He asked Chêne and Sebastian, grinning like a demented Cheshire cat. _"Congratulations, 'Mrs. Michaelis'! Have a seat. I've just baked some cookies!"_

=†=†=†=†=

"––The corpses of children, hmmm…" Undertaker said thoughtfully once they were all seated and the cookie urn had been passed around, and they had explained the situation some.

"They are treated as being missing in polite society, and no bodies or the like have been found yet." Sebastian explained.

"Well, in the underworld, you see dead children everyday after all…" Undertaker said as he bit a bone-shaped cookie in half. _"You're weeeell aware of that, aren't you, Earl?"_

"…" Ciel said as he furrowed his brow slightly. He felt someone gently place their hand on his shoulder reassuringly. It was Chêne. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. There was a silent understanding between the two past kidnapees. "I've brought the files along. Among them, are there any you've _cleaned up?"_ Ciel asked Undertaker calmly as Sebastian stood and handed the copied files and photos over for him.

"Whooo caaan saaay? Maaayhaps there aaare? Maybe seeing something amuuusing will bring it aaaaaaall baaaaack?" Undertaker drawled slyly as he started looking over the information. _"You understand what I'm getting at, Milord…? Give__** it**__ to me… Bestooow upon meeee the __**choicest laughter**__! Theeen I shall tell you aaanything!" _He declared manically as he crawled over his desk, closer to Ciel, before turning over onto his back so that he was hanging over the edge upside down, like a bat. Just thinking about laughing again was starting to make him drool.

"Ugh…" Ciel groaned, clearly disturbed, as he leaned back, putting himself just out of reach of Undertakers long nails as the creepy man giggled and tried to touch his face. "… Sebastian."

Sebastian sighed. So, Ciel was passing the buck after all. Chêne smiled wryly and sweat dropped as she patted her husband on the back sympathetically. She still didn't know what he had done to make Undertaker laugh so hard the last time, but judging by her own personal experience, it must have been humiliating…

"Very well." Sebastian replied dutifully as he readjusted his gloves, prepared to do his worst.

"Hmmm? Relying on him again, are yooou?" Undertaker asked mockingly, grinning. "Guh fu fu! Is Milord a child who cannot do a thing unless Master Butler or Miss Maid is around, hmmm? Well… I don't care who it is so long as they are amusing."

"_!_!" Ciel said, flinching at the accusation. Undertaker's words were startlingly similar to certain prince's…

=Flashback=

_{Also at the townhouse…}_

"_You're hopeless without me, eh!_?" _Soma asked affectionately, not meaning any harm. He laughed jovially. "Really, what am I going to do with yooou! Fine, you can call me big brother, if you'd like!" He declared proudly._

=End Flashback=

'Ah… he's really done it now…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping as she and Sebastian glanced between Undertaker and Ciel. That dark aura from earlier was back again, and a vein mark was throbbing on the young earl's forehead as he remembered how insufferable Soma's behavior had been… running around like an idiot, while saying 'Little mister lonely pants, you~!'… _How utterly humiliating!_

"_I'll do it."_ Ciel said darkly as even more vein marks pulsed on his head. He looked ready to commit murder. Chêne wasn't sure they should leave the two of them alone…

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked as Ciel rose from his seat on the coffin beside Chêne.

"You get out. _**Do not peek**__. I command you!" _Ciel ordered Sebastian gravely, vein throbbing on his forehead as he continued to emit a murderous aura. "That goes for you too, Chêne!"

"… Yes, my lord." Sebastian replied, bowing dutifully, to his master. He was more than happy to get a reprieve from playing the fool, but Chêne looked slightly concerned about the boy's black mood.

"…Okay, just don't become a murderer while we're gone." Chêne said, sweat dropping, as she followed Sebastian outside.

_PATAN._

The door slammed shut behind them, leaving the butler and maid waiting patiently outside.

=†=†=†=†=

{Twenty minutes later…}

"… Do you think maybe we should check to see if they're alright in there?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly out of concern. They couldn't hear any laughter going on inside, and they had been standing there for a while now… Should it really be taking this long?

"Young Master gave us specific orders to wait here. While it is possible for you to break his orders, as a result of our contract, I cannot." Sebastian reminded her. "You may peek inside if you wish, but I doubt he would thank you for it."

"Ah, that's true…" Chêne said, smiling wryly as she pictured how Ciel would react if she caught him making a fool of himself. "I guess I'd better give him a little more time before resorting to tha––"

_GRUMBLE~_

Chêne blushed a little out of embarrassment as she held her growling stomach.

"I guess I'm hungrier than I realized..." She apologized meekly. That had been pretty loud… Much to her chagrin, Sebastian smirked slightly in amusement. 'Ah, that's right… He's been so nice to me lately, that I almost started to forget what a sadist he is…' She thought, sweat dropping.

"He never said we had to stay _here_ while we waited for him. Shall we take this opportunity to feed you and have ourselves a small date?" Sebastian asked slyly as he took her hand.

"Oh, you." Chêne said, smiling ruefully and blushing slightly, as she stood on her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I like the way you think~!" she said, winking playfully.

=†=†=†=†=

{Long after they had returned from their lunch date…}

Some crows were cawing overhead as they flew off into the sunset.

"… Are they even still in there?" Chêne asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow. As she and Sebastian stared boredly at the shop's closed door. "Just what is Ciel _doing_?" They had been waiting for _ages_… "I think it's worth the risk to check now, because this is just getting ridiculous." Sebastian watched as she rolled up her sleeves determinedly and slipped into the shop… before being tossed right back out. Chêne yelped in surprise when she stumbled, but Sebastian caught her.

"Haha… nice catch." Chêne said, smiling wryly. She couldn't believe Ciel had just _shoved_ her like that… He really meant it when he said he didn't want any witnesses to his humiliation…

"Indeed." Sebastian said, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin as he enjoyed having his hands on her waist. Before their marriage, Chêne would've removed his hands by now. He didn't appreciate anyone else bullying Chêne, but at least Ciel's failure to entertain was giving him and her some alone time… even if it did put them a tad behind schedule.

=†=†=†=†=

{Even later…}

Chêne sighed as she gazed up at the night sky with Sebastian and leaned her head on his shoulder. The moon seemed to look especially bright that night.

"It's beautiful…" She said softly. Sebastian glanced down at his wife. Her light green eyes were shining, twinkling warmly in the cool moonlight. He smiled.

"Yes, very." He agreed suavely as he leaned down to kiss her.

"… _Pfft!"_ They heard Undertaker laugh from inside the shop, totally ruining the moment. A vein mark throbbed on Sebastian's forehead. Chêne sweat dropped. Looks like their date was over…

_CREEAAK._

The shops door creaked opened slowly. The two of them peeked inside, curious about what had happened during the whole time they had been waiting.

"Fu-guh…!" Undertaker laughed, flushed in the face, and shaking all over, as he held his sides. There was a little drool sliding down the corner of his mouth. Poor Ciel was huffing and puffing, clearly exhausted after trying to make the creep laugh for so long. He had removed his jacket and role duo his sleeves… even his hair was disheveled and sticking up in places. "Oh I say… to think _that_ Earl Phantomhive would go _that faaaar! Bfft…"_

"Whoa, look at your hair…" Chêne said, amazed. It was like Ciel had developed three new idiot hairs and five insane cowlicks while they were gone.

"What on earth did you do?" Sebastian asked, sighing as he started trying to fix Ciel's messy bird nest.

"Don't ask." Ciel muttered, blushing out of embarrassment, clearly chagrined.

"Still, for you to resort to performing tricks if it is in the name of the queen… You really are a dog." Sebastian told Ciel, smirking.

"Enough. Shut your mouth." Ciel said darkly, his partially cast in shadow as a vein throbbed on his head.

"Play nice, boys." Chêne scolded them lightly as Sebastian tried to conquer a particularly stubborn cowlick that refused to stay down. "Yeah, we're gonna need the comb for that..." She said, smiling wryly, as she took over teasing Ciel's hair back into place, while Sebastian helped him put his jacket back on.

"…" Ciel said when he noticed something was different about Chêne, now that she was closer to him. "Did you change perfumes, Chêne?" He asked curiously. She didn't smell like her usual jasmine… The light and refreshing scent reminded him of a budding rose on a cool summer night… it really suited her.

"Yep! Isn't it pretty? Sebastian gave it to me for Christmas. It's Yardley's new damask rose perfume." Chêne said, smiling.

"!" Ciel said when he suddenly felt someone pinch his cheek. It was Sebastian, and his demon butler's shit-eating grin wasn't as friendly(?) as it normally was. "… What _are_ you doing?" Ciel asked, chagrined.

"Young Master… Please refrain from flirting with my wife." Sebastian deadpanned as he pulled lightly on the young earl's cheek. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's forehead while Chêne sweat dropped. _Just how had that been flirting?_ Undertaker chuckled.

"Fufuh… Careful, Milord, I see Master Butler is the _jealous type_…" Undertaker cackled.

"Now I've paid your fee. So let's hear about the children." Ciel said crossly as he pushed Sebastian's hand away.

"There aren't any." Undertaker said, grinning.

"_Huh?"_ Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne said, dumbstruck.

"None of these children were among my customers… nor have I heard rumors about them in the underworld." Undertaker explained.

"None of them?" Chêne asked, as she furrowed her brow slightly in concern. Just what on earth happened to these kids…?

"So you didn't know anything about this incident at all?" Ciel asked sternly. He'd better have not just humiliated himself for nothing…

"Not quite." Undertaker said, grinning, as he waved his finger in disapproval at Ciel. "I know that I 'do not know' about it."

"Did you deceive me?" Ciel demanded coldly.

"Not at all. This is terribly useful information, is it not?" Undertaker said meaningfully as he dangled one of the files in front of him.

"Indeed. If you do not know, the fact remains that the children have not been killed in the underworld." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

"If their bodies haven't been found in either the outside world or the underworld, it means the odds of the children still being alive are pretty good." Chêne said hopefully, brightening. "The circus might even still have them, if they're the ones responsible."

"In which case… We have no other option left to us but to investigate said circus troupe directly." Ciel concluded solemnly. "Well, that decides it. Come, Sebastian, Chêne. Undertaker, contact me if you come across any information." He said as he turned to leave.

"Milord." Undertaker said, causing Ciel to pause glance back at him, as Chêne handed him his top hat. _"A person has but one soul. Take good care of yours."_

"?" Chêne said, confused. Why did she feel like there was something a little ominous about the way he said that…?

"I already know that." Ciel said as he place his hat on his head, also feeling a little puzzled by Undertaker's parting advice.

_BATAN._

"_Hee! Hee! Do you reaaally?"_ Undertaker asked as the door shut behind them. "_Well, the earl should be fine so long as Miss Maid is there…"_


	93. That Butler, Onstage2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Onstage 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Milord." Undertaker said, causing Ciel to pause glance back at him, as Chêne handed him his top hat. "A person has but one soul. Take good care of yours."_

"_?" Chêne said, confused. Why did she feel like there was something a little ominous about the way he said that…?_

"_I already know that." Ciel said as he place his hat on his head, also feeling a little puzzled by Undertaker's parting advice._

_BATAN._

"_Hee! Hee! Do you reaaally?" Undertaker asked as the door shut behind them. "Well, the earl should be fine so long as Miss Maid is there…"_

* * *

><p>"This must be it." Ciel said as the three of them walked up to a colorful entranceway that had been set up on a previously empty lot.<p>

"The sign says _'Noah's Ark'_ (just like the tickets) so that's a pretty safe bet." Chêne agreed, smiling wryly, as they passed through the entrance. Since her maid uniform would stick out like a sore thumb in this crowd, she had opted to wear one of her pretty winter day dresses. "Uwah~!" She gasped excitedly, lighting up like a kid in a candy store, when she saw all the classic circus/carnival game and food booths they had set up and the awesome costumes of the employees. "Awesome~! Hey, Ciel, Ciel~! Can we play some games while we're here_!_?" She asked excitedly, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"We're not here to play!" Ciel chided her, sweat dropping. Which one of them was supposed to be the _adult _again?

"Eh? But it's been so long since I've been able to play these games! I used to be able to have fun like this every year at my church's parish fair, but now…" Chêne protested, pouting slightly.

"Yes, what a shame. Perhaps we will have time to comeback once we've seen the show." Sebastian suggested, smiling indulgently at her, as he took her hand and led her into the big-top tent. Chêne was rather adorable when she was acting so whimsical. It still amazed him how she could retain such an innocent sense of wonder despite everything she'd been through.

"At any rate, by sight… it seems like an ordinary circus…" Ciel said, getting them back on track as they took their seats in the big-top. If the children were indeed still at the circus, they might be using them in the acts.

"Oh, it's starting…" Chêne said excitedly when the lights dimmed.

_FLASH._

The spotlight illuminated one lone, colorfully dressed man in the center of the ring.

"Ladies! And! Gentlemennnn!" He shouted dramatically, greeting the audience. "Boys! And! Giiirls!" Chêne's eyes widened slightly in surprise when she noticed something about the man's right hand… _it was skeletal_. Lacey definitely would've loved this guy. "On this fine day, we welcome ye to the Noah's Ark Circus." The man continued, giving a small bow as he pulled out some colorful balls and started juggling them skillfully. "I am Joker. If ye'll just take a gander o'er he––_D'ow!"_ He said comically as he let the balls drop and bounce off of his head. The audience laughed at his silly antics. "Ahem! This circus, 'tis packed full of acts to entertain and astound ye!" Joker announced jovially as other members of the troupe came out to join him, striking a pose. "Now, now… with a spectacular blast from our fire-eater… _Let the show of the century begiiiin!"_

_FWOOM!_

The audience ooed and ahhed as a tall, muscular man held up a torch and blew, breathing fire as though he were part dragon.

"Next we have a flying trapeze act, with a duo in perfect sync." Joker said, introducing a mischievous pair of a small boy and a small girl. The audience (including Chêne) cheered and clapped excitedly as the small acrobats proceeded to perform of series of death-defying acts while flying through the air.

_STAB!_

A dagger flew threw the air and pierced the apple that had been placed atop the head of the knife thrower's lovely assistant, like a William Tell act, but with knives.

"And never missing a target… the knife thrower with a perfect record!" Joker exclaimed as the crowd gasped in amazement when the knife thrower continued to throw his daggers, outlining the girl's figure with them.

"There's nothing particularly special about the program…" Ciel said thoughtfully as he calmly watched the amazing feats.

"How can you say that after seeing such amazing stuff?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. "A lot of these performers are almost as skilled as Sebastian! Do you realize how amazing that is for a _normal human_?" She chided him. "The fact that they're making it look so easy makes it all the more impressive."

"Why are you getting so worked up? I simply meant there did not appear to be anything suspicious about the acts." Ciel replied, slightly chagrined.

"Just so. It does not seem as though the missing children are being made to perform either." Sebastian agreed.

"Oh, well… that's okay, then." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck bashfully. "Sorry, I've just always admired the circus… it's what inspired Lacey and me to take up gymnastics."

'No wonder she was so excited to come…' Ciel and Sebastian thought. And if their goal was to be circus performers, it also explained why Lacey had been skilled enough to scale the LeBeau family's house to find the key that Chêne's father had hidden in the gutter, before.

"For the next act––the princess of our circus undertakes her death-defying tightrope walk!" Joker declared as a beautiful, doll-faced girl, dressed all in white and roses, elegantly walked across a taught rope suspended between two platforms that were nearly as tall as the enormous tent itself. A single mistake would've meant death for the fair maiden.

"Well, if the goal wasn't to put the children on display… then perhaps the traveling route of the circus coinciding with the missing children is simply a coincidence?" Ciel said thoughtfully as they continued to watch. The show must be nearly over by now, and they had yet to catch sight of any of the missing children.

"Actually, unless the children ran away to join the circus of their own accord, I doubt they'll be allowed to appear before the audience…" Chêne said. "It'd be like admitting they're the ones behind it." Ciel glanced at her. So she really was taking this seriously, then… good.

"Now we have an extremely rare creature, half-man, half-snake. A magnificent dance by the snakeman!" Joker announced as a very pale young man with white hair and scaly skin came into the ring, doing an exotic dance with snakes (rather like Brittney Spears, only with more snakes and much more impressive).

"And last, but certainly not least! The star of our circus makes her entrance! Feast your eyes on our animal tamer!" Joker declared proudly as very sexy and scantily clad dark-haired beauty led a majestic Bengal tiger into the ring. There were hushed murmurs in the audience and a few surprised shrieks when they saw the tiger roaming freely in the ring.

"It appears you are right, Chêne. There are no children involved in the last act either." Ciel said boredly.

"I would dearly love to have ye, the audience, participate in this act…" Joker continued, smiling up at them all.

"It looks as if coming to the circus was rather a waste of time." Ciel stated disappointedly as Sebastian and Chêne both suddenly stood up. "?" Ciel said, wondering if they'd seen something he hadn't. "What is it? Did you find some––"

"Oh! Good Sir in the tailcoat and the pretty Miss in the rose-colored dress beside him, I see the two of ye are most eager!" Joker exclaimed, smiling as he pointed at the couple. "Hie ye to the stage then!" He said encouragingly.

"_Wha––!_?" Ciel gasped, appalled. What the hell did they think they were doing_!_? They knew they were here on case, so they had been trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, but now… Chêne getting carried away was one thing, but Sebastian too_!_? Chêne's eyes sparkled with excitement, while Sebastian simply stared down at the ring stoically.

"Right this way, my good people!" Joker told them, motioning for them to come down and join him and the beast tamer in the ring.

"Yes, sir!" Chêne said, smiling brightly as she saluted Joker and hurried down to the stage. She paused, however, when she realized Sebastian wasn't following. Was he waiting for Ciel's permission or something…? "Come on, Sebastian! You don't get a chance like this everyday, you know?" She chided him playfully, taking his hand.

"_!_!" Ciel gasped in realization, as the rest of the other spectators clapped for them. '…Oh, I see! This is an opportunity to get close to that lot.' He thought. "Go on, then." Ciel whispered to Sebastian.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied seriously before finally allowing Chêne to lead him to the stage.

'A mysterious case of children disappearing, one after another… and this circus is the only place where we can hope to find clues." Ciel thought as he watched Sebastian help Chêne climb into the ring. 'Though you've managed to get close to them… with all these people watching… how exactly are you going to investigate? _Hm, Sebastian?'_ After all, it was obvious Chêne was having far too much fun living out her childhood fantasy of being part of a circus act to plot any subterfuge at the moment.

"May we have ye lie down over here, sir? And then, Miss, please––" Joker started to direct them, when Sebastian suddenly zipped right past him. "Huh?" Joker said, blinking in confusion.

Sebastian came to a stop once he had reached the bewitching beauty, whom had caught his eye from above, and knelt before her. He slowly raised his hands and gently cradled her soft face in his hands.

"_Oh my… what round eyes you have…"_ The demon butler cooed softly to the majestic tiger as he stared into her amber orbs, positively spellbound.

"…" Chêne said as she face-palmed, shaking her head. She should have seen that one coming… Joker and the beast tamer were both staring at the demon butler, dumbfounded, like they just couldn't bring themselves to believe what had just happened.

"_!_!" Ciel gasped, appalled, as an idiot hair popped out on his head, and he and the rest of the audience turned blue with shock. _'Damn! Tigers are part of the cat family!_!_!'_ He shouted internally. _Sebastian was useless whenever a cat was around!_

"Vivid stripes the likes of which I have never seen… and such soft ears…" Sebastian said wistfully as gazed down softly at the dangerous predator, as if it were no more threatening to him than Jasper II was to Chêne. "You take my breath away."

'Wait, don't tell me this is his first time actually_ seeing_ a tiger…?' Chêne thought, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion. Being able to see tigers in the Audubon Zoo from ever since she could remember, she had forgotten that zoos with exotic animals were a relatively new concept to people of this era, and therefore, most people had, in fact, only ever seen animals like tigers in picture books… It was no small wonder really that such an extreme feline lover, like Sebastian, was so excited to see the big cat in person. Chêne glanced around when she realized how quiet it had gotten. She sweat dropped. Joker, the animal tamer, and the audience were still so shocked by Sebastian's reckless behavior, that they had been stunned into silence. Nearly every person there had their jaws dropped… except Ciel, who was hiding his face in his hands out of embarrassment.

'_Do something about your husband, Chênnne!_!' Ciel silently pleaded, embarrassed to have been seen with the feline fanatic.

"Oh? Your claws have gotten a touch long." Sebastian observed as he continued to invade the tiger's personal space. "You must not let your grooming go amiss now…" He scolded the great cat gently.

"Uh, no… they're supposed to be that way…" Chêne whisper-yelled at her husband. Even if she wasn't a mind reader, she could tell that Ciel and the tiger both seemed to have reached their limits. "You know, 'the better to shred you to ribbons with, my dear'…" Did Sebastian not know that tigers were supposed to be predators?

"Come see, Chêne. Her paw pads are plump and also most enchanting." Sebastian said happily, smiling brightly as he held the tiger's paw. Chêne paled. Unlike Jasper II, most normal cats didn't really appreciate you playing with their paws, so a tiger…

"_Sebastian, don't––!"_ Chêne warned anxiously as she reached out to her husband.

_CHOMP._

"Ah." Sebastian said simply when the tiger bit down on his head. Chêne's warning had come too late.

"_Sebastian!"_ Chêne cried, concerned. She knew that Sebastian (being Sebastian and all) would probably be all right in the end, but the sight of her husband's head disappearing almost completely inside of a pissed off tiger's mouth, as it's fangs pressed into his skull, was really disconcerting, to say the least. She wasn't the only upset by the gruesome sight either––the rest of the spectators screamed and cried out in shock and horror. They were starting to panic.

"_Betty!_!" The tamer yelled anxiously, looking a little pale herself. "_Let go of him!_!" She ordered as she cracked her whip and swung it at the raging tiger.

"Wait, you'll––" Chêne shouted, trying to help, but Joker pulled her off to the side, trying to get her to a safer distance from the wild animal.

"Come away, Miss!" He urged her. "It's too dangerous for ye here!"

"But he's––!" Chêne started to protest.

_SNATCH!_

Sebastian's hand instantly flew out to catch the whip before it could hit Betty. Chêne shook off Joker and ran to check on him.

"_Spit him out!"_ She commanded Betty sternly, staring down the tiger fearlessly. _She meant business._ Surprisingly enough, the tiger listened and removed its jaws from around Sebastian's head.

"_!_?" Betty's tamer gasped in surprise. Just who were these people_!_?

"She is not to blame." Sebastian stated calmly. "In the face of such loveliness, I simply could not stop myself from being thoughtlessly rude… Furthermore…" He added, stroking the whip with his thumb. "… One cannot train animals… by just blindly swinging one's whip." Sebastian said seductively as he touched the whip to his smirking lips, as though to kiss it.

"!" The tamer said, blushing, as she reared back in surprise, anger, and embarrassment.

"_Oi."_ Chêne said, chagrined. Was he seriously going to flirt with another woman right in front of her? He really had a lot of guts… come to think of it, he's always done stuff like this before in the past… was this a demon thing? Did he even realize he was doing it? Betty glanced between the disgruntled Chêne and naughty Sebastian.

_CHOMP!_

Betty suddenly pounced on Sebastian again, sinking her fangs into his hard head for a second time. Her tamer and Chêne flinched in shock. _Not again!_

"_Betty!_! _Spit him out!_!_ Now!_!" Her tamer shouted anxiously as the audience started screaming again.

"My, My, what a tomboy you are. I do believe you're as spirited as my Chêne~" Sebastian told Betty affectionately, not at all discouraged.

"You're incorrigible… I don't think you bit him hard enough, Betty." Chêne deadpanned, chagrined. Maybe that first bite gave him brain damage…

=†=†=†=†=

"_Who told you to go that far?" _Ciel demanded darkly, vein mark throbbing on his head, once the situation had been rectified, and they were free to go.

"Forgive me. I have been alive for a long time, but cats are so whimsical, I can never quite read them…" Sebastian said humbly, smiling blissfully as he blushed a little at the memory of the lovely Betty. Despite being attacked twice, the demon butler looked perfectly fine, and was, in fact, radiating happiness. There were even little flowers in hovering about the demon butler's background.

"So you say, but I think everyone saw at least that first bite coming…" Chêne said bluntly, sweat dropping.

"…" Ciel agreed darkly as multiple vein marks throbbed on his head, so irritated with Sebastian's foolishness that he was tempted to use a few choice words that should not be mentioned in mixed company. In addition to the cat thing, he even flirted with that other woman right in front of Chêne! It was a wonder she hadn't said anything to him about it yet… "First of all, what were you hoping to gain by standing out so mu––_Ah–choo!_!" Ciel suddenly sneezed violently when Sebastian got too close.

"Whoa. That was some sneeze… you okay, Ciel?" Chêne asked, concerned, as she handed him a handkerchief.

"_You know I'm allergic to cats!_ _Stay away from me!"_ Ciel scolded Sebastian angrily as he accepted her hanky and wiped his nose. At least Chêne had managed to remember to keep enough distance not to pick up the tiger's smell.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied dutifully, not sounding the least bit apologetic. Ciel walked off in a huff, taking Chêne with him.

"Since we've already drawn too much attention to ourselves to be able to investigate inconspicuously here, I suppose you can play now, Chêne." Ciel said reluctantly.

"Yes! You rock, Ciel~!" Chêne praised him gratefully, pumping her fist in the air victoriously as she started searching for the game booth she wanted to start with first.

"Ah! _There! There he is! Ye there, sir…" _Joker shouted, getting Sebastian's attention. _"Ye in the tailcoat!_!" He yelled as he ran over to him. "We really are so sorry about what 'appened back there." He apologized to Sebastian earnestly.

"Not at all. Please forgive my untoward behavior." Sebastian replied politely.

"Shocked me clean out of my skin, ye did! Suddenly getting all close to the tiger like that. Where ye got bit, are ye sure it's all right?" Joker asked, concerned.

"!" Chêne said, surprised when Ciel suddenly yanked her back, making her duck behind another tent to hide, when he realized what was happening back with Sebastian. It seemed things weren't completely hopeless after all…

"Anyway, it might be a good idea to get our troupe doctor to take a look at ye. Come 'round back, if ye would." Joker suggested helpfully.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

I added a link for a pic of Chêne in her outfit for this chap to my profile, as well as a belated pic of Mei-Rin in her bridesmaid dress.


	94. That Butler, Treated

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Treated<br>**_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Shocked me clean out of my skin, ye did! Suddenly getting all close to the tiger like that. Where ye got bit, are ye sure it's all right?" Joker asked, concerned._

"_!" Chêne said, surprised when Ciel suddenly yanked her back, making her duck behind another tent to hide, when he realized what was happening back with Sebastian. It seemed things weren't completely hopeless after all…_

"_Anyway, it might be a good idea to get our troupe doctor to take a look at ye. Come 'round back, if ye would." Joker suggested helpfully._

* * *

><p>Sebastian glanced at Ciel and Chêne's hiding place out the corner of his eye. The two of them were stealthily peeking around the corner of the tent, spying on the demon butler and Joker. Ciel nodded at Sebastian in approval, and Chêne signed a 'V' for victory at him.<p>

"Much obliged." Sebastian told Joker politely, flashing him a positively radiant shit-eating grin.

=†=†=†=†=

" 'Ere we go. Right this way." Joker said as he led Sebastian behind the scenes, through the troupe's living area. "Beg your pardon, the place is rather a mess. Watch your step." Sebastian surreptitiously scanned his surroundings, searching for any signs that might indicate whether or not the missing children had been there. "Oh." Joker said, sounding slightly surprised when he spotted a familiar face sitting outside the tent they had been making their way towards. "Snake. Is the doctor in the first-aid tent?" He asked the young man who had danced with the snakes earlier.

"…" Snake said as he glanced up at them. It seemed to be meal time for his reptile friends, because they were currently in the process of scarfing down a couple of mice. Sebastian and Joker noticed that one of the snakes slivering over the young man's shoulders seemed to be pointing its tail in a certain direction, as if to answer their question.  
>"Oh dear. Seems he's out on business." Joker said, sighing. What bad timing! He decided to try to look for the doctor in the direction Snake's snake had pointed in, and he began leading Sebastian deeper into their territory.<p>

"Oh? Isn't that the lad who was bitten by the tiger?" Sebastian heard a little girl ask as they passed. He looked over to see the boy and girl who had performed on the flying trapeze during the show. They were both perched on top of a barrel.

"You're right! What a lob of a lad!" The boy said, smirking, as he and the girl giggled at Sebastian.

"Oh! There he is!" Joker said when he spied the man they had been searching for through an open tent flap. "Doc!" He called out, as he led Sebastian into the tent.

"Nnoh?" A frizzy-haired man wearing bifocals said curiously as he and his patient, the knife-thrower, glanced up at them. "Heya Joker! Your arm giving you trouble again?" Doc asked amiably as he turned his wheelchair around so he could face them better.

"No, I'm not 'ere for me today…" Joker said, smiling wryly, as he sweat dropped and rubbed the back of his neck.

"_Ah."_ The knife thrower said when he realized why Sebastian looked familiar to him. "If I think back, yer the feller that got 'is 'ead bit by Betty! You all right?" He asked.  
><em>"Betty bit you!<em>?" Doc shouted incredulously flinching in shock. _"That's awful! Come, to the medical tent with you!_!" He said anxiously as he grabbed Sebastian's hand, frantic to get his wounds seen to.

=†=†=†=†=

{A few minutes later, in the medical tent…}

"… Were you really bitten by the tiger?" Doc asked Sebastian once he'd examined his head. "_There's nary a scratch on you…"_ He said, sweat dropping. That just shouldn't be possible…

"It was but a play-bite." Sebastian said, smiling so brightly that there were sparkles in the air around him.

'Play…? Play-bite…?' Joker and the knife thrower thought, staring blankly at him in disbelief, as they remembered how Betty had practically tried to devour his head in one bite. Did tigers even _do _play-bites…?

"Well, if there's nothing wrong with you, that's just as well…" Doc said thoughtfully as he sighed in relief. He didn't really get what was going on, but at least everything turned had out to be all right in the end.

"I'm so glad you're fine." Joker told Sebastian, also sighing in relief. "If a member of our audience had been hurt, our leader would've had our heads!"

"You are not the troupe leader?" Sebastian asked, mildly surprised. If that was the case, then why had Joker been acting the part of the ringmaster...?

"I'm something of a ringmaster–for–hire… The leader is someone else entirely… and quite scary to boot." Joker explained playfully, laughing, as he patted the knife thrower on the shoulder.

"Don'tcha come cryin' to me when ye get chewed out for sayin' that, ol'timer!" The knife thrower teased Joker, smirking.

RUSTLE.

"Doctor." The animal tamer said as she pushed aside the tent flap to enter. "I was hoping you could take a look at my leg…?" She trailed off when she realized there was someone she hadn't quite expected to see there.

"Siiis~!" The knife thrower exclaimed excitedly, blushing happily at the sight of the busty woman.

"_You––!"_ The animal tamer shouted incredulously.

"I'm 'aving problems with my leg too, jus' like sis." The knife thrower said, getting down on one knee to profess his love as she stalked towards him. "Gossssh, this's gotta be more proof that we're tied by the red string of fa––"

And then she stalked right past him.

"Huh?" He said dumbly, clearly confused. Why did Sis just pass him up… and why did she have such a scary look on her face…?

"_You're the eccentric gentleman from before!_! _What are you doing here!_?" She demanded furiously as she pointed her finger accusingly at Sebastian, vein mark throbbing on her head. "Thanks to you, the act was completely rui––"

"_Beast!"_ Doc yelled at her reproachfully. "How could you talk that way to a member of the audience_!_!_?_ You only have your carelessness in being unable to control Betty to blame!" The animal tamer, Beast, flinched in shock.

"B–But he approached Betty on his own––" Beast protested defensively, pointing at Sebastian again.

"No buts! You're a professional, right_!_?" Doc said sternly, pointing at her.

"…" Sebastian said boredly, stuck in the middle of their argument, while they acted as though he couldn't hear them at all.

"Now, now, Doctor, you mustn't raise your voice in front of a spectator." Joker said soothingly, smiling brightly, as he and the knife-thrower put themselves in between the other two troupe members before the argument could get out of hand.

"Yeah, yeah! Please examine my dear sis's leg first!" The knife thrower added.

"… Haah." Doc sighed in defeat as he leaned back in his chair. They were right, he shouldn't be making a scene in front of a member of the audience. "Beast, retrain Betty again after this." He said finally, much calmer now.

"Tch! … Yeah." Beast mumbled grudgingly, clicking her tongue in annoyance. Why did she have to be scolded in front of the very man who caused this problem in the first place? It wasn't her or Betty's fault that he was such a weirdo!

"Good. Now let's see the prosthesis." Doc told her, getting back to what she'd come in there for in the first place.

"Prosthesis?" Sebastian asked.

"Ye might say there's a little reason behind this circus." Joker explained, motioning for Sebastian to stand so that Beast could have the seat in front of the doctor. "One way or another, we're a collection of folks with problems. I was missing an arm myself, but thanks to the doctor, look at me now. Pretty fine, eh?" He asked Sebastian as he showed him his own prosthetic hand that was made to look like a skeleton's. Sebastian's eyes widened slightly. He had, of course, been aware of the shape of Joker's hand, but as he could see no visible means or devices to aid in the movement of the skeletal digits (like how muscles and tendons would be needed to move a real skeleton), he had assumed it must be some form of puppetry, with his real hand controlling it from inside his sleeve somehow… Just how on earth was he managing that if his whole arm was prosthetic?

"It's always going bad because you insist on having a prosthetic arm in that shape! I wish you'd give some consideration to the person who has to maintain it." Doc huffed indignantly, glancing up from his examination of Beast's prosthetic leg.

"Oops." Joker said, smiling wryly and sweat dropping, as he winked at Sebastian.

"Do you make the artificial limbs for all of the troupe members?" Sebastian asked the doctor. Truth be told, he was quite curious about how they could function and move so well, like they were no different from actual human limbs. The material they were made from had a mysterious quality to it as well.

"Yes, that's right––It's a lottt of work, I tell you!" Doc replied as he made some adjustments to the leg. "From carving the parts to the installation, I do it all."

"Carving? Are they made of wood, then?" Sebastian asked curiously as he leaned over the doctor's shoulder to watch him work. The surface looked too smooth to be wooden.

"Nope, ceramic." Doc corrected him.

"Ceramic?" Sebastian asked. The texture didn't quite match that of any ceramics he had ever come across before.

"I say ceramic, but I use special materials to make it light and durable." Doc explained.

"I see. It also feels nice to the touch." Sebastian observed as he lightly ran his hand up the smooth shin of the prosthetic.

"Right? To ensure smoothness in movement, I also use ball-shaped parts in the joints." Doc said, glad to find someone who appreciated his work.

"This is indeed delicate workmanship." Sebastian praised as he continued to examine the leg for himself. "Oh?" He said when he saw something interesting at the base of the prosthetic leg. "What is this hallmark…?" He trailed off when he realized the fake limb, no––the entire body of the person it was attached to, was trembling as she blushed furiously out of embarrassment. Sebastian had been so absorbed in examining Beast's prosthetic limb that he hadn't even realized he could see up her mini-skirt now… He was really glad Chêne wasn't there, to see this. Joker stared at them silently, stunned, while the knife thrower had broken out into a sweat as he too blushed furiously, drooling slightly… Beast grit her teeth as a bead of nervous sweat rolled down her face.

"_What are you playing at, you letch!_?" She roared furiously as she tried to kick Sebastian as hard as possible with the very leg he had just been ogling.

"Hup." Sebastian said as he dodged her brutal attack with ease. "Aah, excuse me. You did not strike me as one so chaste as to be bashful at something of this sort, so…" Sebastian said, smirking slightly. He just couldn't resist messing with such an easy target. Sadist mode: On.

"_Grrr…!"_ Beast growled in frustration and anger as she turned and even darker shade of red and multiple vein marks throbbed on her head. _Did he just imply he thought she looked like a slut!_? _"Why, you!_!" She roared furiously, swinging her whip at him.

_WHAP!_

Again, Sebastian easily dodged her attack, smiling that infuriating shit-eating grin of his.

"_Hey!_! _Beast, stop that!_! _He's a spectator!"_ Doc shouted anxiously, paling slightly. _"You two, stop her qui––"_ He stopped short when he and Joker realized that their knife throwing friend was shaking. _Uh-oh._

"_You barmy bastard, how dare ye lay a hand on me sis's pale, silken skin! How dare ye, how dare ye!"_ He roared with righteous(?) fury, tears in his eyes, as a vein throbbed on his forehead. _"And when I haven't even laid a hand on it yet!_!" he shouted as he hurled three daggers at Sebastian without the slightest hint of hesitation.

"Though I did not touch her skin directly…" Sebastian said calmly as he jumped up into the air, to avoid the deadly daggers. He flipped once before landing on a rope that had been stretched across the tent to hang a couple of drying sheets from, like a bird on a wire.

RUSTLE.

"Hello?" Chêne said tentatively as she lifted the tent flap to let herself in. "Are you in here, Seba––_!_?" She gasped when she realized three knives, the ones that Sebastian had just avoided, were flying straight at her.

CATCH. CATCH. _SHHNG!_

Chêne froze. Despite being attacked so suddenly, she had managed to catch two of the daggers, but she had to dodge the last one… and a very familiar braided pigtail of silky chocolate-brown hair was now lying on the ground beside her. Apparently, when she moved her head to avoid the dagger, it ended up missing the most important part (her head), but it sliced off one of her braids… _Damn._

"… _But I do seem to have touched off your anger."_ Sebastian finished telling the knife thrower, wearing that eerily calm smile he had whenever he was in polite company, but was feeling the urge to murder someone.

'You look a little angry yourself…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She didn't know what was going on here, but she had a feeling that guy should run…_ now._

"_Dagger, stop it! You could've killed that girl just now!_" Doc yelled at the knife thrower, breaking out in a nervous sweat, as he turned blue with shock. _"Stop it, or else the tent will––"_

"_Forget the tent!"_ Dagger shouted as he pulled out more knives. "_Sis's chastity is more important!_!" He roared furiously as he hurled more knives up at Sebastian. Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he gracefully caught all eight of the knives in between his fingers, like a ninja boss. The demon butler smirked. Joker whistled. Catching two knives was one thing, but eight… now _that _was impressive!

"_Noo way!_?" Dagger shouted incredulously, not believing his eyes. Who was this man_!_?

"Chastity…?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly. She glanced between Sebastian and Beast suspiciously. That had better not mean what she thought it did…

"Tch!" Beast grit her teeth as she cracked her whip, infuriated._ "Don't push your luck!"_ She shouted furiously as she swung her whip at the perverted demon.

_WHAP!_

Beast's whip wrapped around Joker's walking stick as he thrust it forward, canceling out her attack. A bead of sweat rolled down her face as she stared up at the ringmaster. There was an eerily calm and cold look in his eye as he stared down at her, his face partially cast in shadow. The atmosphere in the tent was so tense, that you could cut the air with a knife…

POP!

"Here~!" Joker said, smiling brightly, as a bouquet of flowers popped out of the end of the walking stick, instantly shattering the tension. "All right, all riiight. That will do for today~!" He declared energetically, his smile as refreshing as spring flowers blooming in the sunshine. Chêne exhaled a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. There had been something a little unsettling about the look in Joker's eye's just a moment ago, but now… Geez, talk about bipolar!

"Whaaa_!_? But, Joker!" Dagger protested.

"_Why didn't you stop them soonerrrrrr!_?" Doc demanded incredulously, still a little pale from when he'd turned blue with shock when Chêne was almost skewered.

"But he––" Dagger continued to argue, vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Come, come." Joker said lightly, smiling wryly as he patted Dagger on the back, and started trying to persuade them to let it go, as Sebastian hopped down from his perch on the rope, still holding the knives.

"Ye have such lovely legs, after all. I can understand why he would want to have a touch. I'm giving you these flowers, so let's have a see a smile." Joker told Beast, smiling warmly at her as he approached her from behind, and patted her thigh lightly as he handed the flowers to her.

"Hmph!" Beast huffed softly, pouting slightly as she blushed shyly.

'How sweet…' Chêne thought, smiling slightly, as she watched them… _Wait a minute…_ "Oh? So _that's_ what happened… We've only been married for a few days, and you're already cheating on me… _Eh, Sebastian?"_ She asked sweetly(?), vein mark throbbing on her forehead. Sebastian froze. _Damn._ He was really going to get it now… He braced himself for a scolding, but it never came, Chêne just huffed and turned her back on him, giving him the cold shoulder.

"…?" Sebastian said, slightly taken aback. That hadn't quite been the reaction he was expecting… he had though Chêne, being a rather emotional woman, would have started shouting at him… In a way, her shunning him actually was actually worse, since it didn't give him a chance to explain himself… and since she wasn't talking to him, it left her open to be approached by someone else…

"Eh? Are the two of ye a couple?" Joker asked, looking slightly disappointed.

"Yes. She is my wife." Sebastian stated pointedly as he passed Dagger's knives back to him and put his arm around Chêne possessively.

"Oh, so _now_ you remember to act like a married man." Chêne said a little frostily, crossing her arms, refusing to look directly at him.

"…" Sebastian said. His shit-eating grin was a little tense now that he realized just how _much_ trouble he was in with Chêne. She wasn't going to let this go for a while, was she…?

"I'm terribly sorry about yer hair. Are ye all right?" he asked, concerned. He still couldn't believe a little slip of a girl like her had managed to avoid being stabbed by those knives, when she had only a split-second of warning time after entering the tent. Come to think of it, how had she managed to get back here in the first place…?

"Uh, yeah, I guess… At least I didn't lose anything _too_ important…" She said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped and fingered her recently cut hair. She must look rather odd with one side of her hair long and braided, and the other chopped off. At least her hair would grow back eventually…

"But I saaay! Leaving all that aside, ye have some terrific reflexes, Sir. And you're not half-bad yourself, Miss. I've been meaning to thank ye for your help with Betty, but ye disappeared once the show was over. I've never seen her take to someone like that before!"" Joker praised them, switching to a happier subject when he noticed the ominous glare Sebastian was sending Dagger for ruining poor Chêne's hair. A woman's hair was supposed to be very important to her in this era, after all. Chêne sweat dropped. Being a modern girl, she didn't really see what the big deal was. She even used to wear her hair in a pixie cut when she was Ciel's age. "So much so, that I've half a mind to scout the two of ye for our troupe here." Joker added, smiling. The couple perked up at that.

"Really_!_?" Chêne asked excitedly, eyes sparkling, as she and Sebastian closed in on the ringmaster.

"Are you sure?" Sebastian asked gravely.

"Eh?" Joker asked, sweat dropping, surprised by their sudden invasion of his personal space. Hadn't they just been fighting with each other…? This couple was pretty close after all… They were in perfect sync.

"To tell the truth, my current master is so willful that I have had quite enough of him. Just recently he even made an advance on my wife." Sebastian explained, sighing tiredly. Joker and Doc sweat dropped as they stared at the couple. …_Seriously?_

=†=†=†=†=

"_Achoo!"_ Ciel sneezed violently as he sat in the carriage, waiting for Chêne to return with Sebastian. "?" He said, puzzled. Why was he sneezing like this today? He hoped he wasn't coming down with something… Sebastian had better not be bad-mouthing him behind his back…

=†=†=†=†=

"Master, ye say… Sir, are ye a servant at some grand house?" Joker asked, slightly taken aback. "You're dressed well, so I figured ye for a gent and a lady… and pardon me for sayin' so, but that ain't no simple ring on the Missus' finger, either."

"Me, a gentleman?" Sebastian asked, placing a hand over his breast. "How absurd. I am merely a butler." He explained, suppressing a smirk.

"I'm just a servant, too. This ring is a family heirloom from my great-grandmother. Grandma Willow thought I should have it for my own wedding, since I was named after the original owner and all…" Chêne explained, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. She hadn't actually known her grandmother had given it to Sebastian until their wedding, but Willow had promised the ring to Chêne when she was little, saying it would be like a 'good-luck charm', since Willow's parents had such a loving and devoted marriage to each other… the effect must not have kicked in yet.

"So, were you serious about scouting us for your troupe? If so, I would like to join at once." Sebastian told Joker.

"Sir, are ye really serious?" Joker asked, sweat dropping. He was really willing to leave such a cushy job just because his boss made one pass at his wife? Well, she was a sweet little beauty, so he could understand why he would be worried…

"I am always serious, you see?" Sebastian deadpanned.

"And I've always wanted to join the circus, ever since I was a kid~!" Chêne added excitedly, smiling so radiantly there were sparkles in the air.

"Pfft!" Joker laughed, amused by their contrasting expressions. They could be a comedic duo, if they wanted! "Ah! Ha! Ha! You are one amusing couple~! I like ye~_!_!" He said, smiling brightly as he clapped the both of them on the shoulder, laughing. "If ye wanna join up, ye can come by anytime."

"_Hey! Joker!_? _How could you just decide it like that!_!_?"_ Beast shouted incredulously, fuming. She didn't really mind Chêne joining, but as far as she was concerned, Sebastian was a perverted demon… (Which was pretty spot on, actually.)

"Now, now. He's quite a talent, and the Missus isn't bad, either." Joker said, smiling a little too care-freely for Beast's tastes.

"My specialties are actually acrobatics and contortionism." Chêne said, smiling innocently.

"Heh. Indeed…" Sebastian said thoughtfully, smirking devilishly, as he glanced down at his sweet little wife. Chêne blushed, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Judging by the looks on their faces, which ranged from intrigued to… pitying (the last one was obviously from Beast), Sebastian's little comment just helped form some strange misunderstandings about her… _again._ Was this payback for giving him the cold shoulder earlier...? Because he totally deserved that one…

"If you please." Sebastian said, drawing their attention back to him and off of poor Chêne. "There is one other person I would like to introduce to you." He said, smiling his customary shit-eating grin.

=†=†=†=†=

"_Ahhchoo!"_ Ciel sneezed again. "_?_?" Seriously, what was with all the sneezing tonight_!_?

=†=†=†=†=

"Certainly, if there's another like ye… but I would like to run him through our tryout." Joker told Sebastian reasonably. "I'd like to see the Missus perform some tricks as well, since acrobatics is her specialty, and we only got to see a limited test of her reflexes." Sebastian hid a smirk.

"Understood. Well then, the three of us shall impose upon you tomorrow. Thank you so much for today." Sebastian said politely, giving a small bow as he excused himself and Chêne from their company. "Come along, Kitten." He told Chêne, flashing her a brilliant shit-eating grin, as he lifted the tent flap for her, and she blushed slightly at the use of his pet name for her.

"Yes, thank you. You don't need to show us the way out." She reassured them, smiling politely, when Joker moved to show them out of the camp.

"…" Sebastian said as he let the tent flap fall closed behind them. "… Chêne, about what happened with Miss Beast…" He started to explain, but Chêne held up a hand, stopping him.

"I don't wanna hear it Sebastian. I can kind of guess what must have happened before I got there… just don't let it happen again, okay? I don't like being made to feel jealous." She said seriously, before giving him a slight smile.

"…" Sebastian said as he stared at her. He could see the hurt behind her smile. She was putting on a brave face for him, though he didn't quite understand why… He would have much preferred she get angry and give him a hard time, rather than having to see her make such a face. "It won't." He promised solemnly as he embraced her. "I am sorry... I didn't think it would affect you so. It almost felt as though I was the only one getting jealous lately…" He apologized. He smiled wryly at himself. Honestly, Chêne was the only one who could get him to act this way…

"Of course I get jealous, you idiot!" Chêne huffed, puffing out her cheeks slightly as she pouted, but she snuggled closer to him as she rested her head against his chest. "I just trust you enough not to freak out about it every time… I now you wouldn't have married me if you weren't serious about us." She explained, blushing slightly. Sebastian smirked slightly as he leaned down and kissed her. He really loved to see Chêne blush like that. It was part of why he just couldn't resist teasing her.

"Now then…" Sebastian said, smirking as he held his wife in his arms, satisfied now that they had properly made up with each other. "… Shall we finish up here so we can return home with the young master? I am looking forward to seeing a private demonstration of your…_ agility_." He said suggestively, not even bothering to conceal the hunger for her in his eyes.

"I don't think I can show them what you seem to have in mind…" Chêne mumbled, sweat dropping, as she blushed furiously out of embarrassment, slightly chagrined. Really! How could Sebastian say something so dirty with a straight face… freaking perverted demon... He was definitely teasing her!

"Anyway, there were nine tents and ten carts until we arrived at the first-aid tent." Sebastian said seriously with a gleam in his eye. He really meant it when he said that he wanted to finish up so they could get back home. Then he could finish kissing Chêne senseless… among other things…

"Plus, there are several larger tents further in." Chêne added. She had managed to do a little snooping on her way to fetch Sebastian for Ciel.

"Since we are here, perhaps we ought to go take a look?" Sebastian suggested.

"You think the kids are here, after all?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. "I haven't seen any signs that might indicate young children around their ages being kept here, but…" Chêne didn't know why, but she had a strange and eerie feeling niggling away at the back of her mind. Although the people in this circus had been nothing but nice, and they didn't seem to be acting suspiciously, she couldn't help but feel something was… _off._

"I cannot sense any children at all. However…" Sebastian stated calmly as he glanced in the direction of a certain tent. 'This presence I have been feeling for some time now… could it be…' He wondered, narrowing his eyes slightly, as he took a step closer.

_HIIISSSSSSSS!_

"!" Chêne gasped in surprise as she gripped Sebastian's arm for comfort, startled by the snake that suddenly reared its head threateningly at them. She didn't recognize what specific type it was, but it had pits on its head, so it had to be poisonous.

"_Entry beyond this point is forbidden."_ The 'snake-man' from the show who had been so helpful to Sebastian and Joker said dangerously as two of his snakes hissed at them from their perch on his shoulders. "––Says Wilde…" He added, glancing at one of the snakes. Chêne sweat dropped. Was he speaking for the snakes? Did that mean this guy could speak parsletongue, or something? Lacey would be _ecstatic_ to meet him…

"…" Sebastian said as he eyed them, moving Chêne behind him protectively.

"The exit is over there." Snake continued, pointing them in the right direction "––Says Goethe."

"Thank you for your kindness." Sebastian told him politely, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin.

"Sorry for being startled…" Chêne apologized bashfully, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck. It looked like he was just trying to be helpful, after all…

"…" The young man said as he watched the couple leave together in the direction he had so kindly pointed them in. "Goodbye." He told them while one of the snakes waved its tail after them, as if to say farewell. "––Says Goethe…"


	95. That Butler, Treated2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Treated 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_The exit is over there." Snakeman continued, pointing them in the right direction "––Says Goethe."_

"_Thank you for your kindness." Sebastian told him politely, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin._

"_Sorry for being startled…" Chêne apologized bashfully, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck. It looked like he was just trying to be helpful, after all…_

"…" _The young man said as he watched the couple leave together in the direction he had so kindly pointed them in. "Goodbye." He told them while one of the snakes waved its tail after them, as if to say farewell. "––Says Goethe…"_

* * *

><p>{Upon returning to Ciel's townhouse…}<p>

"_Huuh?_ Why did things turn out that way?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly, as he sweat dropped.

"Why, you ask?" Sebastian asked as he helped Ciel out of his winter cloak. Hadn't he and Chêne just finished explaining everything during the ride back? "So, like I said––" He started to explain again, when someone else burst into the room.

"_Ciiiel~!_!" Soma shouted excitedly as he ran over to greet his friend. "You were laaate! Are you done for the day_!_?" He asked, grinning like an idiot, as he threw his hands up in the air, cheering Ciel's return. Did this kid just eat a bowl of sugar or something? He was way too hyper for so late at night…

"Welcome home." Agni greeted them all much more calmly, smiling brightly. He too was happy to see that their friends had returned safely.

"Hey, ya'll." Chêne returned their greeting, smiling. It was kind of nice to be greeted so enthusiastically after having such a long day.

"Teach me chess today~" Soma asked Ciel, only to be swiftly passed by as Ciel and Sebastian continued their conversation/argument. Chêne sweat dropped.

_Rejected…_

"When did I order you to do such a thing?" Ciel asked crossly.

"Is there any harm in it?" Sebastian asked. After all, this would grant them a legitimate reason to return, and Chêne could enjoy playing as part of a circus for a bit.

"As far as this…" Ciel started to say, when Soma chased after him again.

"Hey Ciel! What a sour face you've got there! I came out to greet you. So you could at least smile~!" Soma whined as her hovered around Ciel. A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's forehead as he started to emit a dark aura, clearly annoyed by Soma's hyperactive persistence when he was trying to work. He grit his teeth as his patience reached its limit.

"_Shut up! I'm busy right now. Keep you mouth shut!_!" He roared impatiently, causing the prince to flinch in shock. What was _his_ problem?

"… Luck will run away if you're not smiling, you know…" Soma said, pouting slightly, as he fiddled with his fingers and watched Ciel stomp off in a huff with several vein marks throbbing on his head, and Sebastian at his heels.

"… Don't worry, Prince Soma. I'm sure Ciel's just a little cranky after such a long day." She told him reassuringly as she patted him on the shoulder. "How about I make some hot cocoa for everyone?" She suggested, smiling, when Soma immediately perked up and smiled with the radiance of a thousand suns. He loved Chêne's cocoa.

"… Did you do something different with your hair, Miss Chêne?" Agni asked curiously when he noticed something was a little different about her from before. Chêne smiled wryly and sweat dropped. How should she explain this? Ciel had specifically told her not to let Soma and Agni know any of the details about this case, just in case they tried to 'help' and ended up getting in the way…

"Um, it's a long story, but… I was wondering if you could you do me a small favor…? Chêne asked, smiling wryly, as she rubbed the back of her neck.

=†=†=†=†=

"Like I was saying… how did it turn into me having to join the circus as well_!_?" Ciel demanded once Sebastian had shut his bedroom door behind them. He removed his jacket and tossed it on the bed. Chêne was dealing with the other two, so he should be able to have at least a moment's peace for now.

"No one is _having_ you do anything." Sebastian told him. "You will try out for the troupe and be _asked_ to join." He explained

"You're the only one that needs to infiltrate the place. Living in a tent is no laughing matter!" Ciel countered moodily as he plopped down onto his bed and pulled off his tie. How could an earl live in such a poor manner? Chêne had convinced him to try camping out one time, and it was _not _an experience he wished to repeat. Besides, it was still winter. Wouldn't living in a structure that only had canvas for walls be _freezing?_

"Is that what you wish?" Sebastian asked, smirking slightly. "To have me act of my own free will, not by your command? I may be tempted to simply run off with Chêne." He teased.

"… Point taken." Ciel said, clicking his tongue in irritation as he glared at the demon butler. He had a feeling Sebastian was only _half _joking about running away with Chêne. He doubted Chêne would abandon him, but still… "But the ability to do tricks is essential to being a circus performer, right? I can't do anything like that." He said as Sebastian knelt down to remove his shoes for him.

"Heh. Indeed." Sebastian said, suppressing a smirk. "Well, please do your best with the tryout tomorrow. As your butler, I shall be cheering you on from the bottom of my heart." He said, flashing Ciel a brilliant shit-eating grin.

"…" Ciel said as he stared at his butler, narrowing his eyes. He sighed. "There's nothing for it. I'll have to join the circus too."

"As you wish." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he bowed.

"By the way… What happened to Chêne's hair?" Ciel asked. "Was it just my imagination, or was one of her pigtails missing?"

"Ah, _that…_" Sebastian said, smiling his frighteningly calm 'someone is going to die soon, but you will never find the body' smile. "You see…"

KACHAK.

Ciel and Sebastian glanced over to see Chêne peeking through the open doorway at them. Someone had helped her trim her hair so that it was symmetrical on both sides now… She looked rather fetching, actually.

"So, how is it…?" Chêne asked, smiling hopefully at them. "How does it look?"

"… It suits you." Ciel said, surprised. Oddly enough, chopping off most of her hair had made Chêne look more mature… She actually looked her age now… except for her short height… but that was just something she'd have to live with.

"Indeed. You look very lovely, Chêne." Sebastian said smoothly as he walked over to her and stroked her short, silky locks. Chêne smiled happily as she blushed, relieved that it didn't look too weird. It wasn't that she doubted Agni, just that it had been years since she wore her hair so short… It felt a little strange for her head to be so light. It was kind of refreshing actually. Her hair was more 'swishy' now that it was lighter. She laughed a little, causing Sebastian to smile slightly. It looked like there would be a stay in Dagger's execution for now, since Chêne seemed to be enjoying her new haircut…

=†=†=†=†=

{The next morning, at the circus…}

"Goodness me, ye sure brought along an incredibly adorable child, eh?" Joker exclaimed when he saw Ciel, slightly surprised. Was everyone from the house they worked at hired for their looks or something? "Are you a boy?" He asked Ciel.

"Yes." Ciel replied patiently, sweat dropping. Shouldn't that much be obvious just from looking? He was dressed in casual clothing that a boy his age from the working class might wear. "I was a pageboy at the manor. Umm…" He said a little nervously when he realized the rehearsing troupe members had all stopped to stare at him as they whispered amongst themselves. "I'm Finnian." He finished, saying the first name that came to him. He knew he probably shouldn't use his real first name, since 'Earl Ciel Phantomhive' was fairly famous, after all.

"What a grand-sounding name ye have." Joker said as he moved closer to take a better look at Ciel. "Are ye really a boy?" He asked again.

"Yes…" Ciel said, sweat dropping again. Why was he finding that so hard to believe…?

"Well! We'll give ye a stage name if you make it into our troupe. But being cute isn't enough to work in a circus. Ye gotta know how to do tricks." Joker said, smiling. "So little fellow, what are you good at?"

"… Darts?" Ciel suggested a little nervously, sweating as he glanced over at where Sebastian and Chêne were waiting off to the side while Joker interviewed him. It seemed they were already being well received by the others, because the men and women were practically fawning over the attractive couple… Sebastian had to place his arm around Chêne possessively to discourage any would-be-suitors. They didn't seem to be paying any attention to his own situation at the moment.

"Knife throwing it is!" Joker announced good-naturedly as he turned to Dagger. "Dagger, lend him your knives." He said.

"Here ye go~" Dagger said, smiling, as he dropped the knives into Ciel's hands rather carelessly. Ciel sweat dropped. These people didn't seem to have any compunction against placing weapons in the hands of children…

"Hit that target over there from over here." Joker instructed Ciel, pointing to one of the practice targets that had the outline of a human body painted on it.

"_!_!" Ciel said, startled. That was several yards away, and Dagger's knives were much heavier than darts! How did they expect him to even throw them that far, much less hit a specific target?

"Excuse me, but is there somewhere I could change?" Chêne asked them, holding up the bag her change of clothes was in. She had decided to bring her swimsuit with her to demonstrate her skills in, since a frilly dress would just get in her way.

"Sure, the costume tent is over there." Joker said, pointing. "But didn't ye want to watch Finnian here?" He asked.

"Oh, he'll be fine. There's more to him than meets the eye." Chêne said, winking at Ciel as she passed him by.

"…" Ciel said as he exchanged a glance with Sebastian, before they both focused their attention on the target.

"Aww, man. What a bully y'are, ol'-timer!" Dagger said, sweat dropping, as he walked over to stand next to Joker, leaning on him. "With them scrawny arms, 'e'll never 'it the target."

"I'm not being mean. Ye couldn't call it an act if t'were any closer." Joker replied matter-of-factly. This was showbiz, after all.

"…" Ciel said as he raised the first dagger. He took aim… and hurled the knife at the target with all of his might.

_WHIIIIZ!_

It flew threw the air beautifully, but it started to lose altitude a few feet away from the target, right about where Joker and Dagger were standing to watch.

"Awww, I knew it…" Dagger said sympathetically as he, Joker, and the other onlookers smiled wryly. It was shame, Finnian was a real cute kid, too…

_BEND. _THNK!

"_!_?" They all shouted in shock, eyes nearly popping out of their heads, when the falling knife suddenly altered it's projected course and slammed into the head of the target. _What the hell––!_?

"_No way!_?" Dagger shouted incredulously in disbelief. _Should that even be physically possible!_? Ciel smirked. He glanced at Sebastian again. As expected… He raised the next knife and, once again, threw it as hard as he could. Once the knife left Ciel's hand, Sebastian very inconspicuously squeezed a small pebble in one hand.

_SNAP._

The pebble shot forward from his hand, like a speeding bullet, as the knife started to fall.

_TOK._

With speed too fast to be seen by the human eye, the pebble collided with the butt of the knife's handle at just the right angle and velocity to alter its course, and sent the new knife slamming into the head of the target, right beside the first.

THNK!

The two of them continued on in this manner until all of the knives that Dagger had given to Ciel were firmly embedded into the head of the target.

"Will that do?" Ciel asked confidently, smirking slightly, as the peanut gallery oohed and ahhed over the results of their little charade.

"Ye seem to have good control." Joker told Ciel approvingly while Dagger examined the target board, trying to figure out how he had seemingly defied the laws of physics. "Then next up is this!" Joker declared excitedly, pointing at Chêne as she returned from changing. "Are you ready to give us a demonstration your skills, Miss?" He asked her, smiling. Chêne nodded and smiled.

"Sure. Do you have a crate or something I could use?" She asked.

"We have a few empty crates about this big. Will that do?" Joker asked, holding his hands up to demonstrate their approximate size. Chêne nodded.

"That should be good enough. Could you set it down over there?" She asked as she started stretching a little to warm up.

" 'kay! Yer good to go, Miss!" Dagger announced once he did as he asked.

"Okay, thanks!" Chêne said, waving at him. She took a deep breath and exhaled, before getting a running start. Everyone's jaws dropped as she launched herself into the air, flipping, as she transitioned into a roundoff and five consecutive handsprings, before landing on top of the crate in a handstand. She then bent her back at a ninety degree angle and opened her legs in an upside down straddle split, just like she used to do in gymnastics… only this was on a wooden crate, instead of a balance beam. She then slowly straightened herself back into a regular handstand, before doing a forward bend and arranging herself in the 'human knot' position. After holding that position for a few seconds, she straightened herself back out again and did a handspring off of the crate. She stuck the landing.

"… I think I might have gotten a little rust––" She started to apologize, when Dagger and the other members of the troupe suddenly swarmed around her, like bees on honey.

"_That was amazin'!_!" Dagger exclaimed. "Are ye sure yer not made of rubber or somethin'_!_?"

"I've never seen anyone move like that before!" Joker told her, clapping. "Haha. Yer a lucky man to be blessed with a wife like that." He teased Sebastian lightly, clapping him on the back.

"Indeed. However, it seems she's still been holding out on me…" Sebastian said thoughtfully with gleam in his eye. Ciel blushed furiously when he heard that, staring at Sebastian incredulously. Did he realize what he was saying_!_? Lucky for Chêne, Joker didn't seem to have caught Sebastian's perverse musings, so only poor Ciel had heard that embarrassing revelation…

"Are you all right, Ciel? Your face is red…" Chêne asked, concerned, as she walked over to them.

"I'll be fine…" Ciel mumbled, chagrined. He was too embarrassed to look her directly in the eyes at the moment. "… But _you _might not be…"

"?" Chêne said, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion.

"Okay, everyone~!" Joker said, getting their attention again. "Now it's time for the next test…"

=†=†=†=†=

"… Tightrope walking_!_!" Joker finished announcing once Ciel and Chêne had climbed up the platform.

_FWOOSH._

A bead of sweat rolled down Ciel's face as his hair fluttered in the breeze, and he stared down from the top of the platform of the tightrope while the girl dressed in white, who had performed this very act the other night, tied ropes around his and Chêne's waists. Sebastian and the others looked like ants… _It was lot higher than he had realized…_

"_Dollll! Tie their life-lines nice 'n' tight nooow!"_ Joker shouted up at her, not looking too terribly concerned. _"They're yet novices, so they'll hurt themselves if they fall."_

"W–_Won't you test me with something else?"_ Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly in concern.

"_Ohhh? Retiring already, hmmm, little fellow!_?" Joker teased, smiling. Chêne sweat dropped. That way of teasing while smiling… He was Sebastian…

_They had found Sebastian #2…!_

"_N-No, but something other than this––"_ Ciel tried to reason nervously.

"_Then get a move on, would ye!_?" Joker shouted up at him, smiling. Ciel grit his teeth as he furrowed his brow in frustration. It looked like there was no other way than to just do it.

"… Don't worry, Finny, I'll go first. Watch how I balance myself as I walk." Chêne told him, smiling confidently, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She took a deep breath as she walked up to the edge of the platform.

"_I'll be going first, then~!_" She shouted down at them, smiling, as she gave a little wave, before taking her first step onto the rope.

"Ohhh. She's a right natural, she is!" Joker said, impressed, as they all watched her walk across gracefully, completely poised and undaunted by the extreme height. It was just like watching a cat traipse effortlessly across the narrow top of a fence. She had to have an amazing sense of balance to be able to walk the tightrope so easily… and so quickly, too. Was this really her first time? Sebastian smirked as he watched his little kitten step safely onto the other platform, and she visibly relaxed.

"_See, Finny! It's not so bad, just grab the rope and hang from it, like a sloth, 'til we can get you if you slip!"_ Chêne shouted across the way to Ciel, smiling brightly. Ciel sweat dropped. As if he was going to do something so ludicrous… He clenched his fists, determined not to make a fool of himself. He took his first step onto the rope… so far, so good…He took another step forward.

"_!_!" Ciel gasped as he faltered, tipping over to the side. _He was falling._ Chêne covered her mouth as she gasped softly, concerned. _That life-line had better work!_

_WHAP!_

"_!_!" Ciel yelped when something smacked him in the ass, forcing him back into an upright position.

"Ohhh… That was close. But he recovered." Joker observed. That was a pretty strange and interesting move just now… It looked like he had just snapped back into place.

"?" Chêne said, blinking in confusion. She was glad Ciel didn't fall, but what the heck was that…? She could've sworn she saw something fly up and hit him from below… She glanced down at Sebastian. He flashed her a brilliant shit-eating grin as he prepared another pebble to flick at Ciel, in case he faltered again. Chêne sweat dropped. This did not bode well for Ciel…

"Damn! I should have known…_!_!" Ciel muttered as he grit his teeth, swaying on the tightrope as he walked. He should have 'slothed' like Chêne said, while he still had a chance!

_WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!_

"_Arrrgh! Owwww! Ouch!" _Ciel muttered darkly, wincing in pain as Sebastian continued to correct his posture by shooting pebbles at him. A vein mark throbbed on his head. _Sebastian was so going to pay for this later…!_!

=†=†=†=†=

"Amazing! I never thought ye would actually walk the tightrope~!" Joker praised them once they had climbed down to rejoin them on the ground again, clapping. He had suspected Chêne would pass, but he hadn't expected her to do so well. She and Finnian were both much stronger than they looked! Sebastian snickered behind his hand at Ciel as his young master held his aching backside.

"_Thank you…"_ Ciel told Joker, just barely managing to contain his anger at Sebastian, as a vein mark throbbed on his head. Chêne sweat dropped as she smiled wryly. It looked like she would be playing Switzerland for the two of them again later…

"Then this cutie-pie passes, right, ol' chap_!_?" Dagger asked, grinning, as he patted Ciel on the head, while the boy continued to glare at his butler, his sapphire eyes filled with the promise of revenge.

"Not yet." Joker said. "The little fellow's missing something important." He said, pointing at Ciel's face.

"_!_?" Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly. This man, what did he…?

"A first-class… _smile~!_!" Joker explained, smiling so radiantly that sparkles formed in the air around him. "Okay, let's see a great big smiiiile~_!_!" He told Ciel brightly.

"_Wha––!_?" Ciel asked incredulously, paling slightly.

"Pfft… kuh kuh kuh…" Sebastian snickered, shaking slightly as he failed to contain his laughter. Chêne sweat dropped. Getting Ciel to smile was like trying to treat an alligator for a root canal… A vein mark throbbed on Ciel's head as he trembled with anger. How _dare _Sebastian laugh at him… He might not be able to do anything here, since they were undercover, but Ciel was _definitely_ going get the demon butler back for this later! He clenched his fist and took a deep, calming breath, before flashing them all a big smile. It was so captivatingly _adorable_ that Chêne had to shield her eyes to avoid melting from his cuteness. She wanted to glomp him right then and there, but she knew that treating him like a little kid or an adorable small animal would just annoy Ciel even more… and she had a feeling Sebastian might get jealous again… Which would serve him right, but he would probably just take it out on Ciel, so that was a no-go…

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that evening, once their costumes had been completed, and Joker had decided on their names…}

"Friends! Lend me your ears! We've a few newcomers joining us today!"

Joker announced as everyone in the troupe gathered under the big-top. Dagger grinned as everyone gossiped excitedly amongst themselves… everyone except Beast, that is. She refused to look at them, obviously still holding Sebastian's behavior from the other day against him… not that Chêne could really blame her...

"This rookie is 'Black'. And the pretty Miss is his wife, 'Cat'…" Joker told everyone, motioning for Chêne and Sebastian to introduce themselves.

"I am Black. Nice to meet you." Sebastian greeted everyone politely, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin as he removed his new top hat, while holding Chêne's hand.  
>"And I'm… Cat." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped, feeling kind of silly for calling herself that. Well, at least Sebastian seemed to like her new stage name... "Nice to meet you." Chêne noticed she wasn't the only one feeling a little ridiculous, though…<p>

Ciel was trembling slightly out of embarrassment as he patiently for his own introduction, suppressing the urge to deck whoever was in charge of the costumes. Just what were they playing at_!_? Sebastian had been assigned a fairly decent black tailcoat that was very similar to his usual butler uniform, only it included a top hat. Chêne's light teal 'harem girl' costume was rather risqué with it's translucent midriff (that you could just barely make out her belly button through), but other than that, it suited her well… But his own costume was _excessively_ frilly––with puffy shorts, and lots of ruffles and lace accents all over the place––_They even slapped a feathered pirate hat on him, for the love of god!_ Just because he was wearing an eye-patch, didn't mean he wanted to _be_ one! He was so glad Lizzie couldn't see this… She'd probably love it.

"… And this little one…" Joker said, finally getting to poor Ciel. "… is 'Smile'_!_!_!"_ He declared grandly.

"_S––!"_ Ciel shouted incredulously, looking positively scandalized. _Seriously!_?

"Heh." Sebastian laughed, smirking behind his hand, while Chêne smiled wryly and patted him sympathetically on the back. Joker's naming sense was really… _different…_

"Treat them well now, all right?" Joker instructed the other troupe members, smiling, oblivious to Ciel's suffering.

"Come, Smile. Say hello to your seniors." Sebastian prodded the boy, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin. _"With a smile."_

"_Eh?"_ Ciel said, sweating nervously, as his eye twitched. Did he really _have _to? "I… I look forward to working with you…" Ciel mumbled awkwardly, chagrined.

"C'mon, Smile. Smile!" Joker said energetically.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

Some of you might've seen this already, but I added a link for the final (seriously, this is the last time I'll change it, promise) version of her circus costume and her swimsuit. I hope you like Her stage name... for some reason, it was really hard to pick one... I was stuck between 'Beauty', 'Kitten', and 'Cat' in the end, but if you like one of the other's I just mentioned, let me know and maybe I'll change it... I picked Cat because 'Kitten' is already Sebastian's pet name for her (though he rarely uses it in public), and I thought having Joker name her 'Beauty' would upset Beast too much...


	96. That Butler, Colleague

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, A Colleague<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Come, Smile. Say hello to your seniors." Sebastian prodded the boy, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin. "With a smile."_

"_Eh?" Ciel said, sweating nervously, as his eye twitched. Did he really have to? "I… I look forward to working with you…" Ciel mumbled awkwardly, chagrined._

"_C'mon, Smile. Smile!" Joker said energetically._

* * *

><p>"Now I'll give ye a quick tour. Come with me." Joker told the three of them, once the rest of the troupe had finished greeting them, and they had returned to going about their business as usual. "First, these are the tents ye'll be sleeping in." He said as he led them around the camp. "This is where the so called 'second-string members'–– the stagehands, newcomers, and the like––live. There's usually two or three to a tent." He explained as he showed them the inside of one the second-string tents. Chêne didn't think it was too bad since she used to be a girl scout, and they had bunk beds, which was kind of fun… But Ciel grimaced slightly. He was <em>not<em> looking forward to being crammed together in a small tent like that, especially with this stupid couple of newly weds… Sebastian's only real complaint would be that the beds were a little too narrow…

—^—^—^—

"And that there's the dining tent and the tent that serves as our larder." Joker said as he pointed across the way. "It's up to ye new folks to cook up the meals too, so give it your best!" He told them encouragingly, grinning, as he continued to lead them on.

—^—^—^—

"The tent all the way at the back is this first aid tent. That one." Joker told Ciel, pointing it out. Sebastian and Chêne already knew this from their visit there the night before. "And…" He said slowly, coming to a stop when they reached a beaded rope that was strung up to block out a smaller section of tents. "… From 'ere on back are the private tents of the main cast." Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he scanned the area within view.

"Private tents?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow ever so slightly.

"Well… Once ye hit it big, ye get a place to yourself." Joker clarified for him. "Oh, 'n' one more thing… that's Snake's tent , so ye should stay away for your own good. There are a great many poisonous snakes roaming free, so one bite, and off ye go to the other side." He warned them.

"What species of snakes does he have?" Chêne asked curiously. It might be good to see if she could get some anti-venom prepared, just in case… It was a shame Lacey wasn't there, because she could have probably told them what they were with just one look, being such a snake lover.

"I'm not sure, but Snake and his slithery friends are still veeery shy––So newcomers especially should stay sharp 'round these parts." Joker explained, smiling. It seemed Cat was a good name for her, after all, because she was curious like one. "Right then! Moving onnn…" He said playfully, leading them away from the first-string tents, and on to the next destination. "By the way… what's become of your right eye, Smile?" Joker asked curiously, not meaning any harm.

"_Eh!_?" Ciel said, so taken aback by the question, that his heart nearly skipped a beat. He wasn't used to people asking him about that, since most people were either too polite, or just didn't care. "Ah… this… there was an accident…" Ciel said lamely, trying to think up a believable excuse.

"How sad… for someone so little to have had such misfortune befall him." Joker said sympathetically as he gently touched Ciel's face with his skeletal hand. However, that sad look of understanding in his eyes was quickly replaced by an encouraging smile as Joker patted him affectionately on the head.

"_?_?" Ciel said, puzzled by Joker's empathy. For a would-be-kidnapper, this man was rather similar to Chêne… "Right…"

"…" Sebastian and Chêne said as they watched, each having mixed feelings on the matter. Chêne really hoped Joker and the others weren't behind this, because she was starting to like them a lot… They seemed like good people.

"Well… Everyone 'ere's got their own issues, so ye'll get along just fiiiine!"Joker told him, smiling encouragingly, as he clapped Ciel on the shoulder. "Right~_!_?"

"Y-Yes…?" Ciel said, sweat dropping. It felt awkward for a stranger to be practically hugging him. Why was Joker being so kind to him when they barely even knew each other? Chêne was one thing, but these people…

"Like us, did everyone here join the troupe while the circus was making the rounds?" Sebastian asked.

"Nnn?" Joker said as he turned to face the butler. "For the most part, yes. But all the first-string members come from the same town. Guess ye could say we're all childhood friends."

"Childhood friends? That sounds nice." Chêne said, smiling.

"Yeah. But Snake's still a Rookie. He's a genius with snakes, he is… and we were without a snake charmer at the time, so he became a member right quick." Joker explained. "Come to think of it, you're the first decent contortionist we've seen, so ye might be able to become a member too, if ye work hard at coming up with a great act!" He told Chêne, smiling. "If ye join the first-string, don't have to help with the prep and ye don't have to worry about fighting for your meals. And ye can get your own tent. That's why everyone does their best to get to the top…" Sebastian took one last glanced behind him at the first-string tents.

"… To the first-string…" He whispered thoughtfully to himself.

=†=†=†=†=

"And here we are." Joker said as he led them inside another large tent. "The training grounds."

"Wooow~!" Chêne said, eyes sparkling in amazement, when she saw all the second-string members who were already hard at work practicing in their colorful costumes, performing amazing feats left and right.

"Newcomers train and train 'ere… with the hope of debuting in an actual performance one day." Joker explained. "Ye must always start with the basics. Once ye've made quick work of your warm-ups, then––"

"Joker!" Beast called out. They all turned to see her standing in the entranceway to the tent, holding the flap open. "It's almost time!"

"I hear ye!" Joker called back as he waved goodbye to them and walked over to her. Beast narrowed her eyes when she saw Sebastian, who just stared stoically bck at her. In return, Beast sent him a nasty glare as a parting shot before stomping off.

"Well, give it all ye got, ye three––" Joker told them as he let the tent flap fall closed behind him.

"… You really should apologize to her." Chêne told Sebastian, glancing meaningfully at him as she held her hands on her hips.

"…" Sebastian replied, thinking it over. He would consider it, since Chêne asked, but he doubted it would make a difference. Beast struck him as the type to hold a grudge.

=†=†=†=†=

"A tent full of poisonous snakes at the entrance of the main cast's quarters, hm?" Sebastian said thoughtfully as the three of them stretched. He was helping Ciel, While Chêne did a few Yoga stretches on her own.

"It's like they've got guard snakes instead of guard dogs…" Chêne said, smiling wryly. 'And if Snake really speaks parseltongue, he'll know about anything the snakes see… It's like they have living spy-cams…' She thought, sweat dropping. This place was going to be tougher to infiltrate than she had originally thought.

"Your body is very stiff." Sebastian told Ciel, sighing boredly, as he tried to help push him into a straddle-split... He would much rather be helping Chêne. Ciel grit his teeth as he trembled from the effort. He seriously doubted that he was made to stretch this far…

"You need to get out more Ciel. You're so inflexible, it's almost abnormal…" Chêne told him, shaking her head, as she effortlessly slid into a split and pulled her foot behind her head.

"I don't want to hear that from you…" Ciel said, sweat dropping, chagrined. In his opinion, Chêne's entire existence was abnormal. "So, to gain access to the private area, we've no choice but to get into the first string… Is that it?" He asked, getting them back on topic. "Poisonous snakes won't kill you." He told Sebastian. "Go see whether the children are here or––"

"They are not here." Sebastian said.

"Eh?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion. Why did Sebastian seem so certain about this?

"Nothing today either?" Chêne asked.

"I have not sensed the presence of any children at all in this circus, not last night, and not during the tour earlier." Sebastian explained.

"If you still can't sense them, it looks like we might not have really needed to sneak in here after all…" Chêne said thoughtfully, sighing. She wouldn't have minded playing circus a little longer, but she also wanted to find these poor kids as soon as possible. She understood all too well how frightened they must be after being taken…

"But we have yet to find proof that the circus has no relation to the missing children. We can't leave until we've looked into all the nooks and crannies of this place." Ciel said as he and Sebastian stood back-to-back and interlocked their arms at their sides to begin a backstretch. Even if the children weren't there now, there might be a clue hidden somewhere about where they were being kept.

"Quite." Sebastian said as he bent forward at the waist and pulled Ciel up, onto his back. Ciel arched his back slightly as they held the position so his spine and back muscles could stretch. "It is entirely possible that they may be in such a condition that I would be unable to sense their presence." Sebastian added.

"_Please_, don't say that… I feel like it'll jinx us." Chêne said, grimacing slightly at the thought. Since Sebastian was talking about sensing the children's souls, the only other alternative for them being here, but him not being able to sense them, was death. She watched as Ciel and Sebastian switched places, and the small earl's slender legs trembled under Sebastian's weight. Chêne sweat dropped. That's why people usually did that stretch with a partner who was closer to their own height and weight…

"I agree with Chêne. Don't say such an ill-omened thing. _She_ wishes for the children's safe return." Ciel said, referring to the queen. She had been very specific about that.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian said dutifully as he switched places with Ciel again. After straining under his weight, Ciel probably needed to stretch again since his muscles would've tensed up.

"Although… Come to think of it, I was getting a weird vibe from something about this place last night…" Chêne said thoughtfully as she lowered herself into a backbend of her own.

"That reminds me…" Sebastian said thoughtfully as he glance at Chêne. "Instead of the children, I did sense––"

"Heeeey~_!_!" Dagger said as he suddenly popped up to invade Ciel's personal space. "Ye can't be stretchin' all slow and steady, like! Pick it uuup!"

"Huh? ... Weren't you performing tonight, Dagger?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion, as she positioned herself into the 'camel pose'.

"I was up first todaaay~! I'm all done, so I'll supervise yer practice, like." Dagger explained, grinning. "First, we gotta decide on what'cher act's gonna be! I think it's pretty obvious what Cat's is gonna be, since we didn't have decent contortionist 'til now, but what about you Smile? Any requests?"

"I'm fine with anything that doesn't involve me using my body, like the tightrope." Ciel said, sweat dropping as he remembered the pain, and Sebastian smiled and laughed innocently behind him. "Anything but that."

"Nahahaaa! Yeah, ye do look awful weak!" Dagger said sympathetically, smiling wryly, as he laughed. Chêne sweat dropped as she laughed awkwardly too. He really had no idea about what Ciel had gone through up there…

"Then I'll teach Smile all 'e needs to know 'bout knife throwin'." Dagger decided. "What about, you Black?"

"Well, I do not have any requests in particular…" Sebastian said thoughtfully. He wouldn't mind having a double act with Chêne, though…

"Ye've got good reflexes, riiight––I'll be watchin', so show me what ye can do." Dagger said, smiling, as Sebastian suddenly took off like a shot.

"Yes!" Sebastian replied seriously, like a soldier who'd been just given his marching orders, as he dashed off to demonstrate his skills. "First up––_The flying trapeze!"_ Sebastian declared as he shimmied up the ladder and proceeded to fly through the air from swing to swing, causing many of the others to stop what they were doing, and stare in awe as he let go of the bar and did several mid-air flips on his way down.

TMP.

"Next––" Sebastian said as he landed on the ground. "Juggling!" He announced as he grabbed several glass bottles that no one was using at the moment and proceeded to juggle them. The others oohed and awed as they watched the bottles arch high into the air, much higher than they had ever seen even _Joker_ get them to go while juggling.

"Pole climbing." Sebastian said as he ran straight up the tall, metal pole.

AAAH~!

"Passing through a ring of fire!"

OOOHHHH~!

"High wire!"

OHHHH~!

"Trampoline!"

_WHOOOA~!_

Everyone's excited exclamations over Sebastian as he continued to astound them where so loud, they could probably be heard all the way over in the big-top!

"Then––" Sebastian said, picking up a sword, as he opened his mouth, preparing to swallow it.

"_Okay, okay!"_ Dagger shouted nervously, paling slightly, as he waved fro Sebastian to stop. _Was this guy crazy!_? Ciel and Chêne sweat dropped. Once again, Sebastian just couldn't resist showing off…

"_Whoooa!_!" The other troupe members cheered as they crowded around Sebastian, positively amazed. "_Yer somethin' else, Black!"_ They praised him enthusiastically.

"'Something else' is right…" Chêne mumbled, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. Even if they wanted to get promoted quickly so they could have access to more areas for their investigation... there was a limit, you know? These people were professionals, so they should know exactly how _inhumanly_ strong Sebastian had to be in order to pull all of that off…

"Hey!" Ciel whisper-yelled at Sebastian as he snuck up behind the demon butler inconspicuously. Ciel might suck at tightrope walking, but he got an 'A' for stealthiness. _"You're overdoing it!"_ He scolded Sebastian quietly but sternly. Chêne had at least stayed within the realm of what was believable for a human, since she hadn't done anything that she couldn't do when she still was one. "You should follow Chêne's example and be acting more like a newco––"

"Man, I give up. Another mad great new feller_!_? For real_!_?" Dagger asked, laughing and smiling as he shook his head in disbelief. "I can't lose to ye~!" he said, grinning playfully.

"See, now you've got their attention…"Nn?" Ciel said furrowing his brow slightly. "… Another newcomer?" He asked Dagger.

"There's this guy who's just joined. 'E's amazin'!" Dagger explained as he pointed up at something above their heads. "O'er there. He used to be a civil servant or somethin' and is serious like ye wouldna belive!"

'––_Geh!_?' Chêne thought, flinching in surprise, while Ciel and Sebastian grimaced when they saw their new colleague. She certainly hadn't been expecting _that_… Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he glared up at the familiar face, very subtly inching in front of Chêne in an attempt to obscure their view of her.

"_Heeey, c'mon down 'ere fer a biiiiit!"_ Dagger called up at the man who was in the process of walking on one of the other tightropes above them, oblivious to the tense atmosphere around the other three. _"Suit~!"_ He chided the familiar looking grim-faced, bespectacled man who was using an equally familiar 'long reach cut 'n hold bypass pruner' to help balance himself out.

"_H–He's…"_ Ciel stuttered as a bead of sweat rolled down his face. _He was definitely the other reaper from that night…!_ Ciel glanced nervously at Chêne. Not only did this man know Sebastian's true identity, but he knew Chêne should have died that night… What if he realized that Sebastian had 'changed' her_!_? He sweat dropped when he realized that Chêne was trembling… not because she was scared… but because she was trying to hold her laughter in.

Chêne snorted softly as she clapped a hand over her mouth and spun around, unable to look at the man with a straight face any longer. She knew it was supposed to be a serious moment, but… That uptight reaper, 'Mr. Stick-up-his-ass', was wearing a gaudy neon-green, brocade jacket, a polka-dotted tie, and a pair of flashy purple pants that had sequins and stars all over them! _It was bad, sooo baaad!_! _It didn't suit him at all!_ All those bright and cheerful colors clashed horribly with his frosty personality, combed back hair, and boring patent leather shoes that belonged on the feet of an office worker!

William T. Spears sighed as he looked down on them from above, clearly displeased. "I thought I sensed something unpleasant… It was you, was it?" Will asked Sebastian, furrowing his brow slightly in annoyance, as he frowned. "Good grief."

_SHAKIIIIIN!_

"_!_!" Ciel, Chêne, and Sebastian gasped, surprised, when His Death Scythe extended suddenly and slammed into the ground before their feet, just barley missing them. Was he trying to start a fight with them_!_?_ Here!_?

"I never thought we would meet again… goodness." Will said coldly as he readjusted his glasses before jumping off of the tightrope.

KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–KASHAK!

"Whatever did you come sniffing around to devour this time? _You devil!"_ Will demanded sternly as he collapsed his weapon, until he was safely on the ground, and immediately turned his scythe on Sebastian. Sebastian didn't move a muscle. He just stood his ground, calmly staring the reaper down. As long as Will was focused on Sebastian, he wouldn't go after Chêne or Ciel.

"De…vil?" Dagger asked, clearly unnerved, as he furrowed his brow slightly and a bead of sweat rolled down his face, while the other troupe members who were close enough to overhear murmured amongst themselves.

'_Damn! Sebastian's true identity––!_!' Ciel cursed in his mind. He exchanged a nervous glanced with Chêne. _What should they do now!_?

"In this day and age, when there are rarely enough Grim Reapers to get the job done at the best of times… The appearance of a devil means I shan't be able to clock out on time yet again.

"_H-Hey! What're you talkin' about…?"_ Ciel shouted at Will, flinching in shock. What was wrong with him_!_? At this rate, the reaper was going to blow his own cover, too! Chêne face-palmed. She didn't know what the reaper was doing there, but… _Who just goes around revealing secret identities like that!_?

"Grim… Reaper… _You!"_ Dagger said, gasping.

"_N-No, he's just––!"_ Ciel sputtered, trying to figure out a way to salvage the situation.

"Ahahaha~! You're such a joker, Mister~!" Chêne told Will, laughing, as she smiled good-naturedly at him. "A devil? He's certainly got you figured out, eh, Honey~?" Chêne said as she playfully poked Sebastian, winking at him.

"My, it seems I've been found out~!" Sebastian said lightly, smiling a brilliant shit-eating grin, and shrugging as he played along with Chêne's little improvisation. Their little act worked, because everyone started laughing and the mood lightened again.

_SMACK_.

"That's enough o' that, me big fore'eaded friend~!" Dagger teased 'Suit' as he smacked him lightly on the forehead, laughing. "Ye said it with such a serious mug, I couldna tell ye were jokin'_!_!"

"Phew…!" Ciel said, sighing in relief. _That was close…_

"Haha! Wot a laugh! Been shootin' off strange jokes from day one, 'e 'as!" Dagger told them, grinning, as he pointed his thumb at the strict reaper, who was currently fixing his hair, after Dagger had mussed it up. " 'E's always going on 'bout souls and the like… and 'e's mad fer anythin' to do wiv 'em ghosts 'n' stuff."

"I am not one for joking." Will stated coolly as he readjusted his glasses.

"I'll introduce ye. These're the rookies who joined today." Dagger told Will. "The tiny one's Smile. The big one's black, and the pretty Miss is his wife, Cat. Yer all risin' stars, so let's play nice now!" He said as he patted them on the backs encouragingly. Will narrowed his eyes slightly as he glanced briefly between Sebastian and Chêne.

"I do not, by any means, wish to make nice with a noxious beast." Will stated calmly as he spun on his heel and walked away from them without so much as a backwards glance.

"Ah." Dagger gasped. _"'By any means'!_? _C'mon, teamwork's important in the circus, ye know!_!" Dagger yelled as he ran after Will in huff. He couldn't let that one go. Without proper support and teamwork, some of the acts could be extremely dangerous!

"Why is a Grim Reaper here…?" Ciel asked, concerned.

"And why so openly, too…?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly as she wracked her brain for answers. Didn't Grell Sutcliff get in trouble before for pretending to be a butler... or was showing themselves to humans okay as long they didn't interfere with the natural order of life and death…? She thought a powerful race of supernatural beings would be a little more secretive… like MIB secretive... They even had the black suits…

"It is unusual for a Grim Reaper to go about snooping of his own accord… but now we can be sure of one thing." Sebastian said thoughtfully.

'_There is something going on in this circus after all…!'_ The three of them thought.

"I get the feeling something big is about to happen." Chêne said, frowning slightly out of concern.

"It looks like he's worth investigating. Sebastian. Chêne." Ciel said seriously, about to order them to check it out.

" 'Eeey! What are ye doin', Smile_!_?" Dagger huffed as he suddenly grabbed Ciel from behind, having just returned from chasing Suit. "Ye gotta practice, practice, so ye don't lose out to Black and Cat!" He scolded him.

"R-Right…" Ciel stuttered, flinching in surprise and shock. Why were these people always popping up so randomly…?

"I'll teach ye the art o' knife throwin'_!_!" Dagger declared.

"As you wish." Sebastian replied dutifully as he and Chêne watched a chipper and whistling Dagger drag a very reluctant Ciel away. Chêne sweat dropped. Ciel, who hardly ever let Chêne schedule in some exercise for him, was going to be sooo sore tomorrow after getting such an intense workout…

"Well, shall we…?" Chêne started to asked Sebastian, only to realize that he was already gone. "… Oh, no, after _you_, Sebastian." Chêne deadpanned sarcastically as she mimed allowing another person to pass, feeling a little chagrined that he had left her behind.

"Pardon me. There is a little something I would like you to tell me… Old-timer." Sebastian said as he approached the reaper from behind.

"I have nothing to say to you." Will stated calmly, adjusting his glasses, as he kept his back to the demon and started to walk away.

"_Please do not be like that."_ Sebastian said, grabbing the reaper's wrist, holding him in place. _"Let us step outside."_ He suggested as he continued to tighten his grip as the reaper struggled futilely to pull his hand free. Will stabbed his Scythe back at Sebastian with his free-hand, hoping to injure him, but Sebastian caught it in time, and they both started trembled from the effort of their little tug of war. The atmosphere was dark and heavy with tension.

"Would ye look at that! They're friends already!" Dagger told Ciel, grinning. Ciel sweat dropped. What _were_ they doing…?

Chêne nearly face-faulted.

'Is that what it looks like to him…?' She wondered, chagrined. _Couldn't he sense the murderous auras those two were emitting!_?

=†=†=†=†=

"––Really." Will huffed as he pushed his glasses up a bit, thoroughly annoyed at the two people in front of him. Sebastian had somehow managed to discreetly drag the reaper outside of the training tent, so they could have a talk without anyone else around to over hear them. "On top of the London District being perpetually understaffed, that I, a member of management, must go out into the field to retrieve souls simply because the Retrieval Division is missing one employee… What a travesty."

"So… what brings such a busy Grim Reaper as yourself to a place like this?" The demon asked, smirking.

"I'm here cleaning up after that scum dispatch member who is currently suspended." Will explained calmly, but grudgingly. "I didn't think I would be made to do so just because _that thing_ and I are coworkers… and without any extra pay, at that."

"A reaper taking the trouble to come here for the purpose of investigating covertly leads me to believe… that perhaps there are special circumstances at play?" Sebastian asked slyly.

"I cannot give information pertaining to souls to a fiend. It amounts to throwing a rabbit in front of a carnivore." Will refused bluntly as he readjusted his glasses again. "Quite frankly, I'm surprised you did not eat that girl's soul when she was on the verge of death…"

"My Chêne is not food. As for the rest… I am afraid… I have no interest in cheep souls." Sebastian replied calmly.

"Big talk for a starving devil." Will said. _"When the reality is that you're mad with hunger._"

"_I grew weary of indiscriminately devouring souls a long time ago."_ Sebastian stated darkly. A hint of fang showed as he smirked deviously. _"The more ravenous I am… the more delicious the dinner."_

"You have poor taste…" Will replied bluntly.

"That rubbish employee of yours still has me squarely beat." Sebastian retorted. "Moreover, as I have _a collar around my neck_ at the moment… you have nothing to fear." Sebastian added as he pulled down his glove to show Will the mark of his covenant with Ciel, careful not to reveal the mark for his bond with Chêne just yet. "Heh."

"…" Will said as he stared at the demon's exposed hand. "Very well. Since you have the honor of being the greatest of evils to appear 'before I get to work,' let me warn you. We, the Grim Reapers, are tasked with judging those who are scheduled to die according to the soul retrieval list that is distributed to us. We use our Death Scythes to check each person's memories––their cinematic records––one by one… and judge whether they deserve to die or not. And without understanding the great effort we put forth, you devils go about snacking away at those souls like crows on a corpse. _Let me be blunt. A few days hence, we will judge a large number of souls in this vicinity._ This is a special case, so please refrain from interfering."

"!" Sebastian said, honestly surprised to receive such information. "My goodness. That must be quite a chore to handle alone. Still, a large number of souls… _Shall I lend you a hand?"_ He asked, smirking darkly, as his eyes glowed with hunger.

_JAKIIIN!_

Will thrust his Scythe straight at Sebastian's head, but the demon swiftly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow. The Scythe ended up clipping his top hat as it extended past his face, taking the hat with it.

"_I refuse to work overtime free charge. I will hunt you down if you get in my way." _Will said coldly as he stared the demon directly in the eyes, letting him know just how serious he was.

KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–TMP!

Sebastian snatched his hat from the pruners as they retracted again.

"Well, I myself have no desire to be involved with Grim Reapers either. I am not interested in second-rate souls after all." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he placed his hat back on his head.

"Hey!" Chêne called out to them, as she and Ciel walked up to join them.

"That noisy knife thrower is looking for you." Ciel said high-handedly, placing a hand on his hip.

"The girl I could understand, but… He doesn't seem all that high-quality to me…" Will told Sebastian bluntly as he readjusted his glasses. "I don't know what you did to 'save' her, but it's rather impressive her soul is still this clean, even after being influenced by you for so long… Your 'emergency rations' are of higher quality than your 'main course'. I truly don't understand you devils…"

"E-Emergency rations…?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping, as she pointed to herself.

"_You._ Stop calling Sebastian that." Ciel scolded Will, glaring coldly at the reaper. "We were lucky they believed you were just joking before, but… _the fact that you can't even blend in among people makes you lower than that vulgar reaper."_ He said scornfully, causing Will to flinch in shock, before a vein mark throbbed on his head, clearly insulted. That last thing he wanted was to be compared to _that thing_.

"Indeed. As we will not get in the way of your duties… we hope that you will not get in the way of ours." Sebastian said coolly, furrowing his brow slightly in annoyance. How _dare_ the reaper refer to Chêne as _emergency rations_…

"Thank you. I do not even want you in my field of vision." Will replied frostily.

"Perfect. It's settled then." Ciel said, smirking slightly. "We agree to not interfere with each other at all."

_BISHAAAA––_CRACKLE!

Chêne sweat dropped as she watched the guys stare each other down. The air around them was so thick with animosity and tension, that atmosphere was charged with negative energy and even started to crackle with electricity. _There was way too much testosterone in this place…_

'Uwah… For some reason, I feel like it's WWII, and I'm poor Switzerland…' She thought, feeling slightly chagrined. Why couldn't they just at least _pretend_ to get along with each other…? And what was up with this 'emergency rations' thing that Suit had mentioned…?

"Right then. Smile." Will said abruptly, addressing Ciel, causing the boy to grimace as he flinched involuntarily at the ridiculous name. "I'm counting on you to hold your dog's lead tight."

"I don't want to hear it from 'Specs', who can't even manage a conversation properly." Ciel said mockingly.

"I am not 'Specs'. I am Suit." Will corrected him seriously, adjusting his glasses again.

"Hmph. Come on, Chêne, Sebastian." Ciel said as he turned on his heel and signaled for them to follow.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied dutifully.

"Coming." Chêne said, smiling as she walked alongside Sebastian, holding onto his arm.

"…" Suit said as he watched them go. He narrowed his eyes. Something was _very_ different about that girl, and he aimed to find out what it was…


	97. That Butler, Colleague2

**Author's note:** For the purposes of this chapter, the start and end of the cinematic record happenings/memories will be labeled, and Chêne's 'narration' of it will be _[bracketed and italicized like this.]_

_Also, someone asked me to clarify this again, but Chêne is not actually a demon or a half-demon. She is a 'Methuselah', a human that (with supernatural help of some kind) has become immortal and, in her case, also gained eternal youth. She doesn't actually need Sebastian's blood to survive, and she isn't a vampire. That was a sneaky way for Sebastian to get closer to her. (There is another thing I realized I might not have explained clearly, but since no one actually asked about it, that will be explained at the bottom.) I'll let you get to the story now (^_^;)  
><em>

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, A Colleague 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Right, then. Smile." Will said abruptly, addressing Ciel, causing the boy to grimace as he flinched involuntarily at the ridiculous name. "I'm counting on you to hold your dog's lead tight."_

"_I don't want to hear it from 'Specs', who can't even manage a conversation properly." Ciel said mockingly._

"_I am not 'Specs'. I am Suit." Will corrected him seriously, adjusting his glasses again._

"_Hmph. Come on, Chêne, Sebastian." Ciel said as he turned on his heel and signaled for them to follow._

"_Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied dutifully._

"_Coming." Chêne said, smiling as she walked alongside Sebastian, holding onto his arm._

"…" _Suit said as he watched them go. He narrowed his eyes. Something was very different about that girl, and he aimed to find out what it was…_

* * *

><p>{Back in the training tent…}<p>

"Well… Now here's what ye've been waiting forrr~! Time to announce room assignments for the rookies~!" Joker announced happily once he had returned from performing.

"_Yes…"_ Ciel groaned in relief, utterly exhausted after being put through the wringer by Dagger during his training. He was still trying to catch his breath. Dagger smiled wryly as he, Sebastian, and Chêne glanced at the boy, sweat dropping. Why did the air around Ciel feel so oppressive and thick with suffering? Chêne decided that she _really_ needed to start making Ciel exercise more… This was just pathetic.

"What's wrong there, smile? You look down~!" Joker teased, smiling brightly. "Smile, smile~!"

"Y-Yes…" Ciel mumbled, sweat dropping. '_The training is more exhausting than I'd thought…!_!' He sighed internally, chagrined. Sebastian was one thing, but… how could Chêne still be perfectly fine after everything they'd been doing_!_? She might not be completely human anymore, but she was only _slightly_ stronger than the average human, so she should be exhausted too, right? …Why was it just him?

"The results of the impartial lottery are as follows––Smile will be in tent eight." Joker announced. "This is your roommate." He told Ciel, gesturing to a teenager who looked to be in between Chêne and Ciel's ages. This teen was also rather attractive, for a boy, and he had chestnut brown hair, blue eyes, and lots of freckles… strangely enough, this kid looked like he could have been Ciel and Chêne's secret love child in another life… _Weird._

Ciel's new roommate gave him a friendly smile.

'I'm suddenly sharing a room with a stranger… This will make things difficult.' Ciel thought as he nodded his head at the other boy in greeting, feeling a little apprehensive about these new arrangements.

"_And_… Black and Cat will be in tent nine." Joker added.

"_!_!_?_ _Seba––Neither Black, nor Cat, and I will be in the same tent!_?" Ciel shouted incredulously, shocked. Chêne sweat dropped. Was it really that big of deal? It's not like they wouldn't be able to se each other again… Ciel could just come to their tent when they needed to talk… She noticed Sebastian was sporting a brilliant shit-eating grin. He looked rather pleased to know they were getting their own tent.

"Hn? That's right… so?" Joker said, also not seeing what the problem was.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! Smile sure is sweet on those two." Dagger laughed. Ciel reminded him of a kid being separate from mommy and daddy for the first time. How cute.

"_Th-That isn't what I mean––"_ Ciel tried to correct him, blushing, as he sweated nervously.

"Ye gotta learn to be more independent!" Dagger teased him.

'_This isn't good. If I'm separated from Sebastian, I won't be able to move about––' _Ciel thought anxiously."I really do think I should be with––"

"And they're roommate is––Suit!" Joker announced suddenly, as though he had almost forgotten.

_CRRRAAAACK––!_

You could practically _hear_ Sebastian and Will's inner worlds shattering after receiving such disturbing news.

"_Wha––!_?" Ciel and Chêne shouted incredulously as they flinched in shock. Why did they have to put those two together in a confined space––_Were they trying to start WWIII!_?

"Black, Cat, 'n' Smile are already friends. We can't separate a married couple, so they were entered into the lottery together on one slip o' paper. This's yer chance to make new friends~!" Dagger told Ciel, smiling, as Joker laughed. "Ain't that great_!_?"

'But why is he with _us_…? If they're keeping us together out of respect for our marriage, then shouldn't we be allowed a little more privacy…?' Chêne wondered, sweat dropping. Wouldn't it make more sense to put the single man in with the two kids…? She glanced at Sebastian and Will. They were currently locked in a really _intense_ glaring contest.

"Guess we're outta here. Ye kids get to know each other now~!" Joker said cheerfully as he and Dagger stared to walk away.

"_Hey, Wai––"_ Ciel and Chêne shouted after them desperately, reaching out to the two men. _Don't just leave us and runaway on your own!_!

"Righty, sleep tiiiight~!" Dagger called back over his shoulder cheerfully, bidding them all goodnight, before exiting the tent with Joker.

"_This is the worst."_ Will said darkly, frowning slightly in disgust, as he and Sebastian continued their glare-down. To think he would be rooming with this noxious beast…

"My thoughts exactly." Sebastian replied coolly, as he smirked bitterly and glared harshly at the irritating reaper.

"… _Oy, vey..."_ Chêne sighed, sweat dropping, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, already feeling a tension headache coming on. This was going to be a _long_ night…

"Nice to meetcha, Smile! Let's shake hands~!" Smile's freckle-faced new roommate said cheerfully, giving him a friendly smile.

"… Right…" Ciel said hesitantly as he shook the other boy's hand. It couldn't be helped. He would just have to make do…

=†=†=†=†=

{Tent Nine…}

"_I refuse to share a tent with a noxious beast."_ Suit stated bluntly, refusing to budge and grant Sebastian and Chêne entrance to their new room.

"Oh, grow up! Look, none of us are happy about this, but if we make too much of a fuss, we'll just end up drawing negative attention to ourselves. _Do you want to blow your cover?"_ Chêne asked, placing her hands on her hips, as she stared expectantly at him. He was really starting to get on her nerves…

"Hmph. I don't see why I should let _you_ in when I don't even know _what_ you are." Suit countered, staring at Chêne rather contemptuously. "I know _he_ must have done something to stop you from dying that night, because not only are you alive when you shouldn't be, but there is something very strange about your presence."

"I've always been strange." Chêne replied matter-of-factly, shrugging carelessly. "You're gonna have to be more specific."

"… Before, you told me your name was 'Chêne LeBeau'… correct?" Suit asked her, narrowing his eyes slightly in suspicion. _"That was a lie, was it not?"_

"While I quite understand that your aversion to myself is only natural… please do try to remember to treat my wife with the proper respect, just as you would any other lady… _Suit."_ Sebastian said sternly, smiling a rather frightening shit-eating grin as a vein throbbed on his forehead, and he placed his hands on Chêne's shoulders supportively.

"After our encounter, I checked the list of the dead again and again, but the name 'Chêne LeBeau' never appeared on it. Not only that, but there are no records of any human with that name matching your description. According to our records–– _which are infallible_––you, 'Chêne LeBeau', were never even born. Therefore, _you cannot be who you claim to be."_ Suit explained to Chêne calmly, ignoring the angry demon behind her. "Unless you can provide me with proof that you are who you say you are, I will not allow either one of you to step foot inside this tent."

Sebastian and Chêne sweat dropped, chagrined, as vein marks throbbed on their foreheads. If they weren't trying to keep a low profile for Ciel's investigation… _they'd have definitely kicked his ass by now!_

"Heh. You would not believe the truth, even if we told you." Sebastian said, smirking cynically. "Stop this nonsense, and let us inside before we start to attract any unwanted attention."

"… I don't have any physical proof that I am who I say I am, at least not anything you would take seriously. Since that's the case…" Chêne said thoughtfully. "… What if I let you look at my cinematic record? Memories can't lie, right? You'll see be able to see what happened in the past exactly as I experienced it." She suggested practically. "Just don't look at anything after our wedding. That's private and off limits." She added, blushing shyly. She didn't want to show him _everything_. That would be _way_ too embarrassing…

"… _Wedding?"_ Suit asked, stunned. He thought they were just pretending to be a couple as part of their cover. There was no way a demon would actually concede to receiving the holy sacrament of marriage_… right?_

"You don't have to look _that_ surprised." Chêne deadpanned, chagrined. "I know I'm short and have a baby face, but is it that unbelievable someone might want to marry me…?"

"Just ignore him, Chêne. He must be blind (even with those glasses) if he can't understand your charm." Sebastian deadpanned, giving Suit a pitying stare, as he sighed, as though he were looking at some poor, deprived child who could not even know how truly delicious the candy in front of him was.

A vein mark throbbed on Suit's head. This stupid couple was starting to get on his nerves… Also… _why did he have to receive such a disgusting look from a noxious beast?_ He coughed to clear his throat.

"Very well, then." Suit said calmly, readjusting his glasses again. "I shall take you up on your offer."

_SHAKIIIIN––!_

"––_!_!" Chêne yelped in surprise, throwing herself into a backbend to avoid being gutted by his Scythe as it shot straight at her. _"Oiiii…!_? You _seriously_ tried to _kill _me just now, didn't you_!_?" Chêne demanded incredulously, vein throbbing on her head, as she pushed herself back on her feet, ready to smack some sense into the jerk, but then she realized someone else had already beat her to it… Sebastian had attacked Suit the instant he was certain Chêne was uninjured and not in need of his help. However, Suit had managed to block Sebastian's attack, and he was struggling to push the demon back. The demon and reaper glared fiercely at each other.

"That was a warning, _Reaper… Do not attack her again_." Sebastian growled dangerously. His crimson eyes were practically burning with the promise of extremely painful retribution should the reaper make another attempt on Chêne's life.

"She is the one who told me to cut her with my Scythe. The two of you should already be well aware that this is the way we view a person's cinematic records." Suit replied, not looking the least bit apologetic.

"I _obviously _meant for you to give me a superficial wound––_Not a mortal blow!_" Chêne whisper-yelled, chagrined, as she bopped him on the head, knocking his glasses loose.

"!" Suit gasped in surprise as he quickly caught them and placed them back on his face properly. "Please refrain from touching my glasses!" He said scolded her sternly.

"Fine! As long as _you_ refrain from trying to _kill me_!" Chêne huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. "Okay, so just cut the palm of my hand or something this time. I don't want to get any blood stains on my costume." She said, furrowing her brow slightly in annoyance, as she held out her open hand to Suit.

"Oh? You're still willing to let him look?" Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow at her. If not for Ciel's investigation, Sebastian would have been more than happy to perform his own special brand of magic, and make 'Suit'… _disappear…_

"He's an ass, but we're stuck with him. If we cause trouble for the troupe by continuing like this, it'll just complicate things for our investigations. We've already agreed not to interfere with each other, right?" Chêne said, sighing tiredly. "It's getting late, and I just want to go to bed… So if I let you take a peek, I'm expecting you to leave us alone after this. We can even divide up the room between us, if you want, I don't care anymore." She told Suit, covering her mouth with her other hand as she yawned sleepily.

"… Fine." Suit agreed reluctantly. He was having enough trouble against just the demon alone… If both of them came at him together, then it would be _really troublesome…_

Chêne winced slightly as the reaper used his Scythe to make a shallow cut in her open hand.

'So, she still feels just as sensitive to pain as normal human would…' Suit thought as he calmly watched the blood oozing from her cut transform into reels of film to play out a special drama, which only the three of them could see.

∞—_Chêne LeBeau Michaelis' Cinematic Record—∞_

"… n…" They heard a soft, female voice call out something muffled. "… ne… Chêne!" Pomona's voice called out more clearly as the scene came into focus. A very small brunette with bright, pale green eyes glanced up from her crayon drawing as her mother entered the room, laden down with a rather large diaper bag and a purse, and holding Chêne's baby sister, Laurie. The seven-year-old Chêne instantly brightened, grinning happily when she saw her mother.

"PomPom~! Look it!" Chêne said excitedly as she popped up from her seat on the floor excitedly and held up her abstract drawing. "I drew this for you~! It's a 'Picasso'!"

"That's nice, sweetie." Pomona replied absentmindedly as she set Laurie's baby carrier down on the floor and started frantically searching all over the place for something. Chêne pouted slightly, miffed that her mother was ignoring her.

"Hmph! You didn't even look at it." Chêne huffed as she stuck her nose in the air, turning her back on her busy mother. "That's 'kay, though 'cuz Laurie likes my drawing, right?" Chêne said, smiling sweetly as she held the drawing up to show her baby sister. The infant Laurie cooed happily at the sight of her older sister and wrapped her little fingers around a couple of Chêne's. Chêne giggled cheerfully and hugged her baby sister, being very careful not to squeeze too hard. She understood that babies were fragile and had to be treated with care.

"Chêne! Have you seen my car keys anywhere?" Pomona shouted from across the room. Laurie giggled. "Oh? So you think your mother's suffering is _funny_, do you…?" Pomona asked the infant, sweat dropping, feeling slightly chagrined. Compared to the angel Chêne had been at that age, Laurie was a regular imp, and worst of all… _The child just would not sleep at night!_ Poor Pomona was stating to get dark circles under her eyes.

"… Have you checked the _bottom_ of your purse yet?" Chêne asked her mother, as she furrowed her little brow slightly in concentration. She was positively adorable.

"Aww~! You look positively adorable~!" Pomona cooed as she glomped little Chêne and nuzzled her. "You look just like your papa whenever you make a serious expression~!"

'That's 'cause you don't have a serious expression…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping, as she let her mom swing her around. "Are we goin' somewheres?" Little Chêne asked curiously.

"No, sorry sweetie, but it's just me and Laurie going out this time." Pomona said, smiling apologetically, as she set her elder daughter back down on the floor. "I have to run a few errands, and take her to the doctors to make sure her insomnia is just her messing with us, and not because she's coming down with somethi––"

"_Is Laurie gonna be okaaaayy!_?" Chêne demanded anxiously as she suddenly tackled Pomona with almost as much force of a professional linebacker. Tears were starting to form in her innocent little eyes at the thought of her sister being hurt. Pomona sweat dropped.

"Yeah, Laurie will be fine… but now Momma might need to see the doctor too…" Pomona said, smiling wryly, as she rubbed her aching side. It seemed her daughter had inherited her tendency to suddenly exhibit freaky strength when worried about others.

_DING~DONG~!_

"Oh, good! That must be the baby-sitter." Pomona said, sighing in relief, as she got up to answer the door. They were already running late, enough as it was!

_[My mother, who used to be a nurse at a local hospital, always seemed to be in hurry and rushing out the door, because she was always needed somewhere by someone… whether it was me and my sister, or the people at the hospital… It was a little lonely, being left behind…]_

"Chêne, this is Sarah, your baby-sitter. Be good for her while I'm gone, okay?" Pomona told young Chêne, as she gathered up her things again.

" 'kaaay, bye-bye, PomPom~! Bye-bye Laurie~!" Chêne said, smiling brightly as she waved goodbye to her mother and sister.

_[But I knew keeping busy was just my mother's way of distracting herself from how worried she was about my father and how much she missed him… I knew, because I was scared too… Scared that my dad might not be coming back this time…because, unlike the last time he was called in… we were at war, now. We were both scared because he was supposed to be coming home that day, but we hadn't heard from him at all in the past week, and they had decided he was 'MIA'… But I knew he would make it back to us, I just wasn't sure when…]_

"Hey, kid…" They baby-sitter said abruptly, dropping the smile she had plastered onto her face while she saw Pomona to the door. "I don't really care what you do, just don't bug me." The teen said bluntly as she pulled out her phone and started texting.

"…" Little Chêne said as she stared blankly at the rude girl. "… PomPom must've been 'despharate.'" She stated bluntly before running off to play with her beloved Cat, Jasper.

"_Wha––!_?" Her mean baby-sitter shouted incredulously as she finally looked up

from her phone. She sweat dropped, chagrined. The little brat had already disappeared… _Whatever._ She went back to texting.

_[My father was a soldier, a United States Marine… that was the only thing that made me any different from the other kids on the block…]_

"Whoa~! Look at that one go, Jasper~!" Chêne shouted excitedly as she set her homemade sushi-tray sailboat free and watched it drift away on the rainwater that was still draining from the street after yesterday's storm. Jasper purred as she rubbed up against her honorary kitten/owner. Chêne giggled as Jasper's whiskers tickled her little legs. "Haha~! That tickl––"

Chêne froze, her little eyes widened in shock.

"_Don't move."_ A deep and heavily accented, male voice growled sternly from behind her as something cold, and hard was pressed to her head. Jasper arched her back and flattened her ears as she hissed menacingly at the man standing behind Chêne.

_[My father was a soldier… a soldier who had been sent to fight in Afghanistan, after the terrorist attack on 9/11… I saw the attack on TV… I saw my cousin's crying face as they interviewed her at her school, jus a few blocks away from the Trade Center… My father knew I was scared… I saw what 'terrorists' could do and I was terrified…  
>That's why he taught me about the enemy and how not all Muslims were like that, so I wouldn't be scared… so I wouldn't let myself be blinded or paralyzed by fear and hatred...]<em>

"_Get up."_ The man ordered.

Little Chêne bit her lip as tears welled up in her eyes. She very cautiously turned her head ever so slightly, just enough to be able to see the man's reflection in the water. She could see the part of the gun…

"N…No." Chêne stuttered softly. Her lower lip was trembling as she forced herself to speak. _"Noooooo!"_ She screamed at the top of her lungs as she grabbed a fist full of mud and threw it in his eyes. She ran.

_[My father was a soldier… so he taught me how to fight… He taught me about his gun and how to recognize whether or not the safety was on, because I was forbidden to touch it without him around, especially without the safety on…  
>So I knew… I knew when I saw the gun––The safety was still on.<br>I knew then that this would be my only chance to get away… Even as such a small child, I knew enough to realize that once my attacker recovered… once he took the safety off of his gun… I would be helpless against him…]_

"_Hel––mfgh!_!" Chêne tried to scream again, to draw witnesses that might scare her attacker into leaving out of fear of being caught, but another man, that she hadn't noticed before, suddenly ran out in front of her, and grabbed her, slapping a hand over her mouth. The two men started arguing about something in Arabic as the man holding her tried to get her into the van their getaway driver was waiting in. Chêne tried to bite his hand, but she couldn't. She tried to scream, but she couldn't. She tried to kick, but she couldn't. They were about to shut the door, when it happened. Jasper, who had been hissing and clawing at their legs throughout the struggle, took a mighty leap and launched herself at the man shutting the door. Letting loose a mighty yowl.

"_MMRREOOOWWWW!_" Jasper screeched furiously as she dug her claws into the man's eyes savagely, inflicting as much damage as possible.

"_AAARRGHHH!_?" The man screamed in agony as he desperately tried to pull Jasper off of him.

"Jasper––!" Chêne cried, reaching out to her faithful cat.

_BANG._

"… Eh…?" Chêne gasped, stunned. Her eyes widened in shock as drops of Jasper's blood splattered onto her little face. Tears welled up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as she shook her head in disbelief, horrified by what she had just seen. _"EEYAAAAAAAH––!"_ She shrieked, wailing like a banshee in her grief, as the injured man stumbled into the van and slammed the door shut.

"_Silence!_!" The man restraining her shouted angrily, before telling the driver something in their native language.

"_NOOOO! YOU KILLLED HER!_!" Chêne screamed hysterically, out of her mind with grief._ "JASPPPERRR!_!_ JAAASSPPPEEERRRRR!_!_! JAAS––"_

––_WHACK!_

Chêne's vision faded to black as she lost consciousness.

_[I was a just a normal little girl… A normal, happy little girl who lived a happy little life...  
>The only thing different about me was that my father was a soldier… just that… Until that day, when I watched my beloved friend and protector get shot right before my eyes. She was still alive when those bastards threw her under the wheels of the van and ran her over…<em>

_I couldn't handle the shock of losing her…my first and only friend at that point in my life… Not her, who had always stayed with me since birth––_

_Not my Jasper…!]_

The next scene shifted to a rundown shack in the middle of a swamp––_the middle of nowhere._

"_Move."_ One of the men ordered Chêne, shoving her towards the shack. Chêne stumbled forward blindly, still too numb with shock from witnessing the brutal death of one of her most important friends to deal with the reality before her. She couldn't feel anything… She couldn't hear anything… She was a ghost…

_A living corpse…_

Chêne sat in a dark and dank room with several other children. They were all hungry and tired. They were all scared. None of them knew what to do._  
>[Until that day, I had never known how cruel the world could be… I knew bad things happened to other people... I knew other kids went missing... I knew other people suffered…<em>  
><em>… And now I knew that I could too…<br>I was the daughter of an American soldier… and now, I knew that was all it took for someone to hate me… For that reason alone…_

_We were taken…]_

––CRASH!

_SLAP!_

Chêne grunted in pain as she landed harshly on the floor of the shack after being backhanded by one of the men. She glared up at him defiantly as she scooted away from the broken camera that she had just deliberately knocked over, and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

_[I was the daughter of an American soldier… and one thing my father taught me, was that we do not give in to terrorists… Being scared wouldn't save me. It didn't save any of the other children, either. They were all dead now. I was the last, the only one who had managed to delay being filmed for my 'proof of life'. I knew once they had what they needed… they would kill me, too. This was not about religion or justice, as they had claimed… It was obvious, even to a child like me, that no matter what oaths they swore, no matter what lofty morals and high goals they claimed… Theses people were no martyrs.]_

The other terrorists came into the room and started yelling about the broken camera. They argued amongst themselves, before one of them shoved Chêne to the floor and started kicking her.

_[Theses people had been hurt––burned by the world somehow––and now, they wanted others to hurt too… They just wanted someone else to burn in retribution for their suffering. We were just children, but that didn't matter to them. They didn't care that we were innocent––that some of us couldn't even spell 'terrorist' yet––All that mattered to them… was that our fathers were soldiers of a country that had everything the wanted but never had.  
>I was no longer afraid of these men… I pitied them. They were pathetic.<em>

_These men had let their pain and hatred consume them to the point where they couldn't even be called human anymore. They were all completely and utterly alone inside. No matter what these men did, they would never find peace now. Not in life, here on earth, and certainly not in death, wherever it may take us…_

… _It is hard to imagine that there is a heaven right now._

_But I hope there is one, a heaven… I hope that's where all of those other children are now… a place where no one will ever hurt them again… I hope Jasper is there too… maybe then I can see her again someday…_

_I'm so tired, almost wish I could join them… but I can't, not yet… because I still…]_

"Hmm… What have we here?" A male voice asked casually as a dark figure loomed over Chêne. Chêne stared up at him. Her eyes were starting to glaze over. She was in so much pain that she could barely even breathe. She couldn't focus her vision enough to see his face clearly, but he was wearing black, leather dress men's dress shoes and a black suit… and he seemed to be carrying a weed-whacker…

"…" Chêne said, trying to ask who he was. This guy was new. He didn't have an accent, and his skin was white. For a moment, she wondered if Pomona had threatened the FBI into coming to get her… The woman could be pretty scary when she was mad…

"A-ah, poor thing… you can't even speak, can you?" He asked, sighing as he shook his head. "I swear, humans do the most horrific things to each other! So scary~!" He said carelessly as he flipped through a book. "Hmm… I don't see your face in here, so I guess I'll check back after I've taken care of those other kids that are already waiting for me!" He snapped the book shut and whistled as he walked across the room, where they had piled up the bodies of the other children.

_WRRRR––VWRRRRR!_

Tears rolled down Chêne's cheeks silently as she watched the strange, new man rev up his weed-whacker and proceed to shred the children's corpses with it.

'_Oh God, please…!' _Chêne prayed as she squeezed her eyes shut. Why was he doing this to them…? Even if those kids were dead already, she didn't want to see them get hurt anymore…hadn't they done enough? Why did they have to mutilate their corpses, too_!_?_ 'Dear, God… Please, don't let my mother cry too much… Please, at least let my father have made it back home to her safely… And please, give my sister a guardian angel that will keep her safe… She doesn't have a Jasper…'_

"Let's see now… Let me just check this _one_ more time." The man said as he walked back over to Chêne and squatted down beside her. "Ah! Here you are… Chêne LeBeau––Born October 31, 1995…" He trailed off as he continued to read. There were 'special instruction's under her name. "_No freakin' waaaay––!_?" He shouted incredulously. "Well, if that don't put pepper in the gumbo! Hey, kid. Do you know what this says––_code 42––You're a freakin' honest-to-goodness 'code 42'!_ Do you know how rare that is_!_? Damn… I wonder what you did to get yourself labeled as a 'code 42'…. Well, no point in askin' you, since you probably don't even realize what I am, let alone what a 'code 42'… Well, don't worry, you won't be confused for long, 'cuz I'm gonna have to make you forget you saw me. It'll still be in your record so other reapers will see this and know not to reap you, but you aren't gonna remember a single thing about me. Since I can't take you with me, I guess you're just going to have to save yourself… I still can't believe a little thing like you is a 'code 42'!" He told her, sounding absolutely amazed. "Ah!" He suddenly gasped in realization as he turned to look directly into the 'camera' (or whatever was being used to record this). "Hey, you! Any reapers watching this in the future had better stop, 'cause the show's over! This is a 'code 42', so if you accidentally sliced her open, patch her up and get out! _Now!"_

FSZZT––_BEEEEEEEEEEP!_

∞—_End of_ _Chêne LeBeau Michaelis' Cinematic Record—∞_

"… What was that?" Chêne asked, feeling extremely confused. "Why did it just suddenly turn to static before showing that_ 'no broadcast'_ image, while playing that extremely annoying beeping sound? We were just getting to the good part, when I trick those bastards into giving me a flashlight so I can signal for help, and my dad busts in and saves me… It didn't even show the part about how I came here!" That had been what she _meant _to show him, since it would explain why no records of her existence (that weren't fabricated by Ciel and Sebastian) could be found in this world.

"You… are a 'code 42'…_!_?" Suit asked, stunned. "Not only that, but you are from an 'AU'…"

"What is a 'code 42'?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow as he frowned, trying to suppress his anger. Whatever it was must be terribly important, because this uptight reaper was visibly shaken by the revelation, so he was intrigued, but watching the smaller version of his Chêne and the heroic Jasper be abused so horribly had gotten his blood boiling. Those terrorists had no idea how _lucky_ they were to have a _whole universe_ separating them from the enraged demon. Chêne gently held his hand and squeezed it reassuringly, reminding him she was okay now.

"And what's an 'AU'…? If this were a fanfiction, I'd think it meant 'Author's Universe' or something, but… Something tells me that's not quite right…" Chêne said thoughtfully.

"You were close, but completely wrong." Suit said as he adjusted his glasses, wondering what Chêne was talking about, while ignoring Sebastian's question. "'AU' stands for 'Alternate Universe'. You were originally from another world, yes?"

"Yes." Chêne replied seriously, nodding. Well, at least he wasn't staring at her like she was insane… more like he had just found out Santa Claus was actually real, and she was his incarnation... She noticed that Sebastian's aura was darkening even more. The demon didn't like the way the reaper was staring at his wife with such open admiration, while choosing to ignore his own presence. Chêne sweat dropped. "And, what's a 'code 42', if you don't mind me asking? The meaning of life?" She asked, laughing a little at her own reference to a certain comedic British movie/novel.

"How did you know? _That information is top secret_." Will said, dead serious. Chêne sweat dropped.

"Seriously? No way! I refuse to believe that the meaning of life, our purpose here on earth, boils down to some crummy two-digit number! I _hate _math!" Chêne protested, absolutely appalled. She knew math was important, but _damn_…! Will and Sebastian both sweat dropped.

"What on earth are you talking about? '42' is just an arbitrary number someone picked a long time ago." Will explained patiently. "It is by no means the answer to life itself."

"Oh, well… I guess Hollywood lied to me, then… _again._" Chêne said, earning an amused smirk from Sebastian. He, at least, understood what she meant by that, having had the movie industry in her world explained to him once.

"… At any rate, I cannot reveal too many details of our inner workings to an outsider, but 'code 42s' are people whose existences have been predicted and/or proven to be beneficial to the world. Depending on what their exact role in history will be, their names are temporarily removed from the death list and they are allowed to survive any events that might lead to a premature death, until they have finished 'playing their part'." Will continued to explain.

'That must be why I survived so many freak accidents…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. She needed _both_ hands to count the number of her near-death experiences… She noticed Sebastian was staring at her, having obviously come to a similar conclusion himself.

"But what makes me a '42'?" Chêne asked curiously. "And why are you suddenly answering my questions so politely, but ignoring Sebastian?"

"My apologies. I did not realize you were a 'code 42', but I know better now." Will said, giving a slight bow. "You see 'code 42s' are extremely rare and very valuable to us reapers, because 'code 42s' almost invariably have the side-effect of reducing our workload, and therefore, make it less likely that we shall be forced into overtime without pay." 'Although, I have no idea how this girl would be capable of such a thing, seeing as she is consorting with one of noxious beasts that are our main reason for headaches…' Will thought to himself. "However, killing one without authorization, especially one from an AU (and therefore belonging to another jurisdiction), will result in punishments so severe, that they cannot even be spoken of out loud." He added, with a glint in his eye. Chêne had a feeling it was probably something like being sentenced to overtime without pay for life.

'He must really hate overtime… Well, at least he won't be trying to kill me again…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping.

* * *

><p>Author's note:<p>

So... the other thing I mentioned in the first note... I'm not sure if I explained this, and I'm a bit too busy to read back at the moment, but... don't freak out now...

Grandma Willow's full name: Willow Anne Devinette–LeBeau.

That's right, Pomona and Captain LeBeau's wedding was the 'LeBeau–LeBeau' party. But before you freak out about them having the same last name before marriage, please read this:

Once upon a time (centuries and centuries ago),  
>There was once a single 'LeBeau' clan in Poitou, France, that started with Seigneur (lord) Nicolas Beau, a knight of Sainte-Gemme and Bourgneuf in 1309. From there, the clan branched out, and different variations of the original surname evolved, including 'LeBeau'. The large LeBeau family had split into two main groups: the Huguenots (French Protestants) and Roman Catholics. During the 1500s, when Hugenots were being persecuted, some members of the Catholic side helped their protestant cousins escape to England. From then on, they were two evolved into two entirely separate families, to the point where they are no longer even genetically related close enough to be considered<em> really distant<em> cousins (they're literally everywhere too). So, after several generations, Pomona LeBeau and Cpt. Jean LeBeau met, fell in love, and got hitched in the 1990's. And that's why it's not creepy~! XD

Thanks if you bothered to read this ^_^;


	98. That Butler, Performs

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Performs<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"My apologies. I did not realize you were a 'code 42', but I know better now." Will said, giving a slight bow. "You see 'code 42s' are extremely rare and very valuable to us reapers, because 'code 42s' almost invariably have the side-effect of reducing our workload, and therefore, make it less likely that we shall be forced into overtime without pay." 'Although, I have no idea how this girl would be capable of such a thing, seeing as she is consorting with one of noxious beasts that are our main reason for headaches…' Will thought to himself. "However, killing one without authorization, especially one from an AU (and therefore belonging to another jurisdiction), will result in punishments so severe, that they cannot even be spoken of out loud." He added, with a glint in his eye. Chêne had a feeling it was probably something like being sentenced to overtime without pay for life._

_'He must really hate overtime… Well, at least he won't be trying to kill me again…' Chêne thought, sweat dropping._

* * *

><p>{Meanwhile, in Tent Eight…}<p>

"Say… Can I sleep on the top bunk?" Ciel's freckle-faced roommate asked, pausing in his climb up the bunks ladder, waiting for Ciel's answer.

"By all means. I was just thinking I would prefer the lower bunk." Ciel responded politely as he held onto the rucksack containing his belongings. '_I don't want to climb up there…'_ He thought, slightly chagrined. After all that training, Ciel would rather use his sore muscles as little as possible…

"I've been thinkin'." Freckle-face said as he plopped down into his bunk, peeking down, over the edge at Ciel, watching him unpack. "You sure speak real pretty 'n' upper crust, like." He observed casually.

"_Eh!_?" Ciel said nervously, caught off-guard. "D-Do I? It must be because I've been working at a manor since I was little…" Ciel lied lamely, smiling wryly. He hadn't even realized his proper English was slipping through… maintaining false accents was harder than he had realized…

"Ohhh! Well, if you need help, ask me anythin'!" Freckle-face said, smiling cheerfully. It looked like he didn't doubt Ciel's awkward excuse at all. "I know! Want some candy?" Freckle-face suddenly asked excitedly as he started digging through his own bag. "It's that popular Funtom kind! I got caramel, milk, and strawberry! Which one you want?"

"I–I'll take caramel then…" Ciel said, smiling wryly as he sweet dropped. He couldn't believe he actually was being offered his own product by another kid like this… He wasn't really that excited about it, but he didn't want to offend his new roommate by refusing what they seemed to think was a rather generous offer… '_Damn!_ _I won't be able to visit Sebastian's tent like this.'_ He thought, chagrined.

=†=†=†=†=

{Tent Nine…}

"You'll sleep on the upper bed." Suit told Sebastian sternly. Chêne sweat dropped as Sebastian glared so coldly at the reaper that she could've sworn the temperature in the tent just dropped a few degrees… Sure, it was true they had promised the reaper he could divide up the room, but… they had meant sides…_not beds_. For some reason, he had started insisting that Chêne and Sebastian should sleep in separate beds… on opposite sides of the rooms… _He was worse than Sister Mary-Joseph with her 'leave enough room for the Holy Spirit' rule at school dances!_

"Um… Mister Suit… you do get that we're _married_, right?" Chêne asked, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. "It's not like it'll be a scandal if we share the same––"

"_Absolutely not."_ Will said, bluntly rejecting any opposition. "While I cannot control what you do behind closed doors elsewhere, as long as the two of you are here, I must ask that you refrain from producing any _devil's spawn_ on my watch." He said seriously, adjusting his glasses. Chêne gaped at him.

"D-_Devil's spawn_…?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping again. Somehow… it had never occurred to her that's _literally _what any children she had with Sebastian would be… _consider Chêne's mind imploded_.

"Hmph." Sebastian said contemptuously as he glared sharply at the reaper, dead serious as he spoke. "As if I would ever let another catch a glimpse of Chêne's loveliness when she's at her most vulnerable, let alone hear her cries of ecstasy as we––"

"––_Wooooow!_!" Chêne shouted, blushing furiously as she jumped in between them, waving her arms frantically, as if trying to erase what Sebastian had just said. "T.M.I., Sebastian! _No one_ else needs to_ know_ about our sex-life, _okaaay!_?" She scolded him, clearly scandalized.

"Heh." Sebastian laughed, smirking devilishly at her. Chêne sweat dropped.

'_He's definitely messing with me, this…!'_ Chêne thought, chagrined. He had probably never planned on elaborating any farther than that in the first place… He just wanted to hear the word 'sex' from her pretty lips… _sadistic perv._

"Hmph. With a lecherous face like that, I wouldn't be surprised if you somehow became impregnated simply from being in the same room as him." Will stated bluntly as he started drawing a line in the tent's dirt floor. Sebastian and Chêne both sweat dropped. Not _that_ again… _had Will been talking to Ciel's Aunt Francis recently…?_

"Even for me… I assure you, such a thing is quite impossible. What are you doing now?" Sebastian asked the reaper, chagrined.

"This line marks the edge of my own private territory, so please do not set foot beyond it." Will said seriously as he outlined his personal space… which consisted of most of the area around the bunk… Sebastian barely even had enough room to stand, unless he lay in his top bunk… maybe air-space didn't count…?

"Then what's that other area you sectioned off? Isn't that my supposed to be my bed?" Chêne asked sweat, dropping, as she patted Sebastian's back in a soothing manner. Karma was finally biting him in the ass for all the teasing he had inflicted on others, but Chêne was just too tired to deal with another fight tonight…

"That's your territory." Will explained patiently.

"…" Chêne said as she stared at the lines. Seriously, what were they, _five-year-olds…_?

SNATCH! _SCRAAAPE._

"!" Will said, surprised when she suddenly snatched his Scythe clean out of his hands, erased some of the lines, and redrew them to allow Will his own section, but left a larger neutral zone for Sebastian that consisted of he previous allotment, plus a path to her bed. She was not climbing up there in a _skirt_ every time she wanted to talk to him! Chêne had gotten so used to cuddling with Sebastian, that she knew she'd probably sleepwalk/climb into his bunk later anyway on this cold, winter night… But hopefully Will would be too asleep to notice by then...

"Here." Chêne said as she shoved the Scythe back into Will's hands. "The box is exclusively your space, and neither of us will step foot in it. My bed is mine, and you have no right to stop Sebastian, _my husband_, from coming into my territory, but we'll try separating, just at night… Don't interfere with us once we leave the tent. _Understood?"_ She asked WIll firmly, crossing her arms. She meant _business._

"…Yes, Ma'am." Will replied obediently, still surprised she had managed to take his Scythe just like that... only to give it _right_ back. What a strange girl… was every 'code 42' like this? Sebastian smirked.

'That's my Chêne…' The demon thought, satisfied now that the reaper had been set straight, proud of his little wife's spunk. "Very well." Sebastian agreed. He didn't really like having to sleep in separate beds, but he had a feeling Chêne would probably end up sleep climbing into his anyway…

"'Night, Honey~" She said, smiling sleepily, as she gave Sebastian a peck on the cheek and slipped behind the privacy screen they had added for her to use when changing. She was a grown woman rooming with two men, after all… even if one of them was her husband, she still needed privacy from the third wheel.

"I say! Why must I live with a devil…?" Will muttered to himself moodily, just loud enough for Sebastian to hear. "Let me make one thing clear from the outset. Unlike devils, Grim Reapers need to sleep. Don't make noises late at night and disturb my rest."

"You needn't have bothered to tell me that." Sebastian said, sighing boredly. The only thing he had planned on doing that might 'make noises late at night' had been made nearly impossible the moment he and Chêne obtained a roommate. Besides, Chêne was looking rather tired after all the acrobatics she had done earlier, as evidenced by how she had gotten a little short-tempered when she snatched the Death Scythe away. "As Chêne still requires at least six hours of sleep to function at her best, I have become accustomed to indulging her habit and remaining silent while she sleeps. My kind does enjoy sleep as a luxury, however…" He trailed off as Chêne stepped out from behind the screen, wearing a cozy flannel nightgown. He really was really glad it was winter, or it would have meant she'd have packed her warm-weather nightgown, which showed a little more skin… that wasn't really a view he wanted to share.

"Play nice, you two." She chided them, sounding rather like an elementary school teacher scolding two naughty children. "If you wake me up with another fight… I'll kick _both_ your asses…" She gave Sebastian another peck on the check and a goodnight hug before shuffling sleepily back over to her bed. She was out the moment her head hit the pillow.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that night, when the moon was high in the sky…}

Sebastian Michaelis stoically stared up at the ceiling of the tent, wide-awake and silent as the grave. He had been patiently waiting to ensure the reaper had really fallen asleep. He still had his orders from Ciel to search the circus's premises at night, after all… Well, truth be told, even without that, Sebastian found it hard to sleep peacefully with an enemy right below him and his lovely wife across room… where he couldn't even touch her… The demon butler was far too irritated to sleep when he didn't even need it in the first place. He sat up in his bed, moving as quietly as possible, as he crawled over to the ladder.

_JAKIIIN!_

"!" Sebastian said, slightly startled, when Will's Scythe suddenly shot up from below, cutting off his escape. He had managed to stop in time to avoid being hit, but it did manage to slice the tips of his bangs… He would have to fix that.

"Where are you going? Lights-out was ages ago. For heaven's sake…" Will muttered grumpily, peeved that Sebastian had disturbed his rest. The anal-retentive reaper's slightly disheveled bedhead almost made him look normal… _almost. _"I won't stand for you snatching souls while I sleep. Please do not go wandering without your mas––"

––_FWOMP~!_

Chêne's pillow had just slammed into Will's face.

"In the name of the moon… I will… kick your ass…" Chêne mumbled in her sleep. She had turned onto her side… her arms still flopped straight in front of her from when she had unconsciously flung her pillow at the reaper.

"…" Will said, chagrined, as the pillow slowly slid down his face. Sebastian smirked. That was his little Kitten, for you... so amusing.

"Perhaps I should have mentioned this before…" Sebastian whispered lowly, so that his voice would not be carried over to Chêne's side of the tent. "Chêne is a very deep sleeper and, with a few exceptions, is usually very difficult to wake. However, if something disturbs her slumber and brings her out of 'REM', then she will occasionally roll around and 'act out' her dreams… the results of which you have seen for yourself." He kindly(?) explained to the reaper, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin. "… It seems you are not so free to move either."

"…" Will said, furrowing his brow slightly as he glanced at the peacefully sleeping girl. To think she could have such precise aim, even in her sleep… 'This 'code 42'…_ how formidable…_' He thought, slightly impressed. Maybe there was something more to this girl after all… Will decided it would probably be best to make a tactical retreat for tonight, so he retracted his Scythe and promptly went back to sleep.

'… I shall be rather bored till morning.' Sebastian thought, sighing, as he too lay back down. Now that Chêne had stopped sleep-talking, he didn't even have that entertain him…

RUSTLE.

Sebastian perked up when he heard Chêne stir again. He could hear the pitter-patter of her little feet as she stumbled across the room bare-footed… and then she nearly walked right passed the bunk bed, and into the tent's canvas wall, before Sebastian leaned down and pulled her up and into his lap. Sebastian smiled wryly as he sighed and shook his head at her. As the floor was nothing but dirt, some of it had stuck to her feet. What ever was he going to do with her?

'Well, no matter…' Sebastian thought, smiling softly as she cuddled up to him, despite being completely unconscious. '… I'll retract that previous thought.' This time, Sebastian lay back down holding Chêne close to him. The demon's lips curved into a content smile as he drifted off to sleep, his little sleeping beauty at his side.

=†=†=†=†=

{The next morning…}

"…y." Ciel thought he heard someone call out to him as they started trying to shake him awake. Sebastian knew better then to wake him so rudely, so it could only be one person… "Hey!" They yelled louder, shaking him even more.

"U…Nn." Ciel murmured groggily as he finally stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "… Chêne?" he asked, still half-asleep, as he turned to look at his human alarm clock.

"What're you sayin', Smile_!_?" Freckle-face asked loudly, furrowing his brow slightly in confusion, as he loomed over the younger boy. "Wake up!"

"_!_!_!"_ Ciel shouted incredulously, turning blue with shock, as he shot up like a Jack-in-the-box and instantly slapped a hand over his right eye in a desperate attempt to hide his contract mark, scared witless. _He didn't see it, did he!_? He had been so tired the previous evening that he had forgotten to put a spare eye-patch on to sleep in, just in case... _He really regretted that bit of carelessness now._..

"Oh! Yer finally awake." Freckle-faced said, smiling brightly at him, before switching over to a more serious mode. "Rookies gotta get up early and make the mornin' grub! No takin' it easy and stayin' in bed!" He announced firmly, placing his hands on his hips.

"_Yes!"_ Ciel replied hastily as he quickly slapped the eye-patch on, relieved that his roommate was so oblivious. Freckle-face waited patiently outside the tent while Ciel fumbled around, struggling to dress himself. He really wished Sebastian was here… perhaps he should have listened to Chêne when she told him that, aristocrat or not, he should at least practice dressing himself …

"_Too slow!_!" Freckles shouted as he suddenly threw the tent flaps open so he could make Ciel get his ass in gear. "Smile, I'm gonna leave you behind_!_!" He threatened.

"Coming!" Ciel called back, flustered, as he flinched in surprise at the sudden intrusion. Didn't these people have any manners_!_?

=†=†=†=†=

Once he had finally managed to get his clothes on, Ciel's bossy roommate had practically _dragged_ him to the bustling and crowded area behind the dining tent, where they had already set up all the cooking equipment and started up the fires. He had somehow managed to be reunited with Chêne during the chaos when he went to get ingredients.

"Hey, Ciel…" Chêne said, furrowing her brow slightly in concern, as She took in Ciel's disheveled appearance. He was sweating and panting heavily. His thin arms were shaking as he carried the heavy tub of potatoes. "Are you being bullied alre––"

"_Of course not!"_ Ciel snapped defensively, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. _As if he'd let himself be bullied…!_

"Are you suuure…?" Chêne asked, narrowing her eyes slightly as she studied Ciel, making sure he wasn't just being stubborn. "Well, tell me if they do, okay? If you can't handle them… I'll _take care of it_ for you." Ciel sweat dropped. Chêne definitely planned on _crushing_ anyone he reported to her… He almost felt sorry for anyone who might dare to mess with him. Almost.

"Well, look who's here… Can you really call that personal grooming?" Sebastian said rather patronizingly as he joined them, carrying a pot of water, not even bothering to hide his smirk. "It seems you can not even dress yourself properly." Ciel really should have listened to Chêne… at least she had managed to engrain the proper shoelace-tying technique in him. That was about the only part of his clothing that looked neat.

"I was in a hurry." Ciel replied, promptly turning his back on the demon butler, trying to play it cool now that the king of S's had arrived. He didn't need to give Sebastian any more ammunition. He sat down and started peeling his tub of potatoes, as did Chêne.

"Dear, oh, dear." Sebastian said when he noticed that Ciel had tied the straps for his eye-patch in a clumsy knot. Ciel could practically hear the demon shaking his head at him, wearing that irritatingly superior smirk on his face. "You will have trouble undoing a half-knot alone." He added, suppressing a smirk as he leaned down to un-do the knot and retie it for him.

"And I can't take looking at your screwed-up shirt any longer. You'll catch a cold like this, with the chilly air getting in through the gaps. At least button up your coat properly till you can fix your shirt buttons." Chêne chided him, putting aside her work for a brief moment to button him up better.

_STAAAAAARE…_

"Ha!" Ciel gasped, flinching in shock when he realized that _everyone_ had stopped whatever they had been doing to stare at the three of them.

"Ahahahaha! Smiiiile~! So, like, Black and Cat ain't your mums, okay_!_?" Freckles said, laughing at how cute their little 'family' scene had been.

"_No––! This is…" _Ciel shouted defensively, immediately shooting away from them, appalled. He wasn't some helpless little child!"… A habit… I mean, I just happened to…" He tried to explain, too flustered to think up a legitimate excuse for them to be 'mothering' him without giving himself away.

"Aww, you don't have to be so embarrassed, Smile~!" Chêne teased Ciel playfully, ruffling his hair affectionately. Sorry, it's a habit of mine. He's like a cute little brother to me, so I just can't leave him alone… I guess I end up over doing it sometimes~!" She said, smiling wryly as she rubbed the back of her neck. There, she'd provided an excellent cover. If Chêne viewed him as family, then it only made sense that she and Sebastian, her husband, would be watching out for him, as well as, why they would've brought him with them in the first place when they left their previous employer to join the circus. You didn't leave family behind… _However… it was still embarrassing!_

'Sebastian!' Ciel whisper-yelled at the demon butler while Freckles was busy talking to Chêne about how 'nice' it was that the adopted siblings were able to stay together. 'Do not treat me as your master while we're here! Leave me alone!' He knew he wouldn't have to bother telling Chêne, since she always just did as she liked anyway… Only when they were receiving guests at his manor, would she then make a special effort to 'behave herself' and act like a real maid in front of polite company… _unless it was Lau_. He had managed to crack her polite façade pretty quickly upon their first meeting, when he touched her butt, and she had reflexively shouted 'Pervert!' while simultaneously whacking him on the head with the serving tray she'd been holding. For some reason, that had only made him like her even more…

"Understood." Sebastian replied dutifully. "… Then without delay––Smile, what do you plan to make with the potatoes when the skins have more potato on them than the potatoes themselves?" He asked pointedly, no longer pulling any punches.

"_Eh…!"_ Ciel asked, flinching in shock, when he realized he had seriously screwed up. Damn demon… _Why didn't he say something sooner!_? Sebastian snickered. Chêne and Freckles, catching the tail end of Sebastian's comment and Ciel's startled reaction, immediately whipped their heads around to see the culinary catastrophe.

"_ARRGH! Smiiile!_! _What're yooou doiiin'!_?" Freckles demanded, turning blue with shock. _"And you peeled so many of 'em!_!_!"_

"I... I'm sorry!" Ciel apologized frantically, starting to break out in a nervous sweat, as he turned blue with shock. It seemed Freckles was just as serious about food as Chêne was… _speaking of which_… Ciel cautiously glanced at the older girl.

"…" Chêne said, eerily silent. Her eyes were cast in shadow as she stared down at the poor, butchered potatoes.

'_Is she so angry that she's passed the point of even being able to yell at me…!_?_'_ Ciel shouted internally, flinching. _He was so dead…!_

"_Smile… You know how I feel about wasting food!_!" She scolded him, vein mark throbbing on her head, as she pulled him into a headlock and proceeded to give him a noogie. _"You could feed a small village for a week with the meat you left on these peels!_!"

"––_!_!_!"_ Ciel cried in surprise, wincing as she rubbed her knuckles against his head. He was honestly shocked. Unlike Sebastian, Chêne pretty much never used corporeal punishment… unless you counted the occasional forehead flick. If Ciel hadn't been so busy trying to escape, he might have noticed that, after the initial grind, she had been going much easier on him than she would've if some else had committed such a grave offense.

"If you can't do it, ask for help or something next time_!_!" She chided Ciel as she loosened her grip and released him back into the wild.

"Arrrrgh. There ain't much left to eat…" Freckles groaned disappointedly, sweat dropping, as he examined one of Ciel's crappy potatoes while the younger boy massaged his sore head. It had been so long since Chêne scolded him like that, that he had almost forgotten how scary she could be…

"There is nothing else to be done…" Sebastian said, drawing their attention, as he picked up the barrel containing Ciel's failure. "Let us fry these up nice and crispy as–is and make fish and chips." He suggested, smiling slightly. "I believe there was some fish in the larder. Will you fetch it for me, Cat?"

"Leave it to me!" Chêne said enthusiastically, grinning as she ran off to fulfill his request. It'd been a while since she'd been able to have fish and chips!

"Ah. I like that~!" Freckles chimed in excitedly. Now _that_ was something to look forward to!

"I am glad." Sebastian replied, smiling politely at Ciel's roommate. He didn't fail to notice that Ciel had started to emit a rather dark aura. His young master was glowering at him, obviously sulking over failing so spectacularly, on top of being publicly scolded by Chêne, and then having to be saved by his butler in the end. "Heh." Sebastian smirked.

_My, my, this experience may yet serve as a good lesson in humility for the young earl…_


	99. That Butler, Performs2

**Author's Note:** Hi! I'm sorry for taking such a long break! I never meant for it to go on this long, but I had some… _issues_… They're being taken care of now, so I'm back in black. I probably won't be able to update as often this time, but I'll try to get something up at least once a week. Thank you so much for your support and for continuing to read this story!

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Performs 2<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Leave it to me!" Chêne said enthusiastically, grinning as she ran off to fulfill Sebastian's request. It'd been a while since she'd been able to have fish and chips, and her family's fish-fry batter recipe was amazing! Technically, it was meant to be used for catfish… but it worked just as well on other types of fish, too._

"_Ah. I like that~!" Freckles chimed in excitedly. Now that was something to look forward to!_

"_I am glad." Sebastian replied, smiling politely at Ciel's roommate. He didn't fail to notice that Ciel had started to emit a rather dark aura. His young master was glowering at him, obviously sulking over failing so spectacularly, on top of being publicly scolded by Chêne. "Heh." Sebastian smirked. My, my, this experience may yet serve as a good lesson in humility for the young master…_

* * *

><p>"<em>Let's go, Smile!<em>!" Freckles yelled determinedly as he grabbed Ciel by the wrist and pulled him towards the fray of people fighting for their breakfast.

"Eh?_ Go…?" _Ciel asked, puzzled. _Why did his roommate sound like someone preparing to go into war…?_

"_If'n you don't hurry, you won't get no meat!"_ Freckles said, dead serious.

The first-string had already been given first pick, so it was the second-strings' and newcomers' turns. It was a mad scene––_survival of the fittest._

"_RAAAH!_! _OUTTA MY WAAAAY!_!_!"_ Freckles roared mightily as he charged recklessly towards the front of the mob, to where Sebastian and Chêne were busy serving everyone as quickly as possible, still dragging poor Ciel.

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside the Dining Tent…}

"Huh. So you only managed to get bread in the end." Freckles observed smartly, once he and Ciel had managed to escape from the throng of ravenous people, and they were safely seated at one of the dining tables.

"_Yes…"_ Ciel managed to reply tiredly as his eye twitched, chagrined. He was positively exhausted from the ordeal. After all of that struggling, his clothes were in tatters again… and he only had one _measly_ roll of bread to show for it. If this was survival of the fittest, then Ciel was _definitely_ the runt of the litter.

"Aww, fine~! I'll give you some o' my sides~! You're a short little bag of bones, so fill your belly and grow big! Awright?" Freckles said generously, grinning cheerfully, as he began to transfer some of the sides from his own _giant mound_ of food to Ciel's barren plate.

"Th-Thank you…" mumbled politely as he sweat dropped, embarrassed that he had needed help just to get enough food to feed himself. This was place was crazy…

'Hello~!" Chêne greeted them cheerfully as she plopped down on the bench next to her 'cute little brother'. "Ya'll don't mind if I join you, do you?" She asked, smiling brightly at them. Her plate was also _piled_ with food somehow…

"Heya, Cat! Where's Black? He joinin' us too?" Freckles asked, grinning at Chêne as though they were already best buddies.

"He's still helping out at the moment, but he told me to go ahead and get a head start, since I usually have a bigger appetite than he does." Chêne replied casually as she slipped some more protein and veggies onto Ciel's plate for him.

"Haha, must be nice to have such a considerate man!" Freckles teased Chêne playfully. "But gosh, I gotta say… your and Black's cookin' is really ace_!_!"

"It is." Ciel mumbled absent-mindedly as he slowly munched on a piece of fish.

"Thanks~! The batter's from a family recipe." Chêne said, smiling happily as she ate. It was always nice to know people were enjoying your food.

"You and He used to be a maid and a butler, I hear. Guess maid's and butler's are even good at makin' grub!" Freckles said, scarfing down the amazingly gourmet food. "They sure turned the tater skins you messed up into somethin' delicious." He exclaimed as he turned to Ciel. Chêne decided it might be better no to comment on that last line.

"Yes." Ciel deadpanned, slightly irked that it had even been mentioned again.

"Good, I'm done! Thanks for the chow!" Freckles announced suddenly as he stood up abruptly, his plate already totally empty of food. "Time to practice! C'mon!" Freckles told Ciel bluntly, burping rather unceremoniously as he started walking away.  
><em>"Eh?<em> Already?" Ciel asked, flinching in shock. He hadn't even finished off half of his normal-sized meal yet! What did Freckle-face do, _inhale his food? _ He glanced at Chêne for help.

"I should get going too, Black's probably already waiting for me in the training tent." Chêne said as she stood up. Her plate had barely even any crumbs left on it at all. "Have fun, Smile~!" She told Ciel, smiling brightly. Ciel sweat dropped as a vein mark throbbed on his head, chagrined. This little traitor…! Did she already forget that they weren't here to play..._!_?

=†=†=†=†=

{The Training Tent…}

"Uwah!" Ciel shouted when he fell from the large ball he had been trying to balance on. "Ow…" He muttered, as he rubbed his aching head, chagrined.

"Hey! Heyyy! What happened to your sense of balance from the tryout_!_?" Freckles asked, concerned. "These are the basics, the real basics!" He chided Ciel as he helped him to his feet.

"_OOOHHH~!"_ They heard some of the other trainees exclaim suddenly.

The two of them glanced over to see what was so impressive.

_BAAAM!_

"_Black is amazing!_!" Someone shouted.

"_No! Suit's doin' just as well!"_ Another exclaimed.

The two of them were currently locked in a competition with each other to see who could outdo who. Sebastian was poised on top of a tall stack of the same kind of ball that Ciel had just failed to balance on, and the reaper was right next to him, balancing on top of some strange contraption. Neither of them was giving an inch.

"They're really somethin'_!_!" Freckles exclaimed as he stared up at them in awe, feeling a little overwhelmed by their awesomeness. "You gotta get back on track quick. Don't let 'em leave you behind!" He encouraged Ciel.

"_They can't be human!"_ Another onlooker exclaimed excitedly as the reaper and demon butler continued to astound.

"… _Yes._" Ciel muttered a little shakily, smiling tensely, as he sweat dropped and paled slightly. There was a dark aura around him. As if something like that would be possible for someone normal like him! And what the bloody hell did those two think the were doing, showing off to that extent_!_? Where they _trying_ to blow their cover as humans_!_?

"_Whoa! Cat ain't bad either!_!_"_ Another shouted when they noticed her practicing in the shadow of the other two. Chêne was currently training herself on the trampoline, practicing continuous flips that almost made it seem as though she was just continually rotating on an invisible axis… and she was laughing and giggling the whole time.

"Whoa! Cat's amazin'! I don't think I could ever keep flippin' that long without keelin' over_!_!" Freckles exclaimed. Ciel sweat dropped. While everyone else was so amazed by the high-level trick, she was obviously just playing around… It kind of pissed him off. Where did she even learn how to do that in the first place_!_? He had a feeling Lacey was somehow to blame for this...

It would be just like her to continue to make his life difficult even when they were apart.

=†=†=†=†=

"Wheeew_!_! I'm all sweaty! Let's go take a shower, Smile!" Freckles exclaimed, finally satisfied now that they had practiced to the point where Ciel was practically wheezing and about to collapse from exhaustion. He was tired, dirty, and practically drenched in his own sweat… _This place was the worst_.

"_Eh?"_ Ciel said, perking up. "There's a shower here?" He asked, practically sparkling, now that he was finally able to see a glimmer of hope in the form of the almighty shower. The shower at the LeBeau residence in the future had been amazingly refreshing, and the water had been so nice and warm… it was like a bathing in a gentle rain...

This was just what Ciel needed after the hard day he had!

=†=†=†=†=

"It's cold at night, so you oughta shower during the day!" Freckles explained to Ciel cheerfully as he led the way to the men's showers. "See? Here." He said, once they had arrived, pointing towards what was most _definitely_ _not_ a _shower._

_It was an 'open air' bath!_

"_!_!_!_?" Ciel shouted in alarm, flinching, as he turned blue with shock. Not only was it terribly cold out here, but there was _absolutely no privacy!_ Everyone was casually walking around almost completely naked (except for a towel around their waste), as if it were nothing!

"You call _this_ a shower…_!_?" Ciel demanded shakily, hoping he had somehow misunderstood or was seeing things.

"C'mon, take it off! I'll wash your back~!" Freckles said, beaming a radiant and friendly smile at him as he held up a bucket of water.

"_I-It's the dead of winter, but we shower outside!_?" Ciel shouted incredulously, turning blue with shock again when he realized this nightmare was real. _"And isn't that cold water…?"_

" 'Tis." Freckles replied very matter-of-factly, wondering why Ciel was freaking out over such minor details. "You'll be awright if you pour water on you and dry off quick! They say 'em noble types go swimin' in winter for good health. Now off with 'em clothes!" He said cheerfully as he tugged on Ciel's scarf. _That was definitely news to Ciel._

"_Uwah!"_ The young earl exclaimed nervously, flinching in shock. _What the hell was wrong with this kid!_? _"I-I think I'll pass after all!"_ Ciel shouted nervously as he struggled to get away.

"C'mon, don't be shy!" Freckles teased good-naturedly.

"I'm not being shy––_!_?" Ciel shouted, gasping in surprise, when he backed up into a tub of water, and he started to fall backwards, taking Freckles with him. _"Ah!"_

"_Whoa!_!" Freckles said in alarm as they went down together. "_Bwah!_!"

_KASPLASH!_!

"–––_!"_ They both groaned, completely soaked to the bone with the freezing water.

"Uwaaah, collld! Awww geez_!_! You made a fuss and got me wet too!" Freckles exclaimed.

"… Would you mind getting off of me?" Ciel asked, chagrined. Freckles had landed on top of him as they fell… _awkward_…

"You're soaked now anyway, so take off 'em clothes. Here, up with your arms." Freckles said, completely ignoring Ciel, as he started to pull the younger boy's shirt up.

"_!_!_!"_ Ciel exclaimed as he flinched in shock, disturbed. _What the hell was Freckle-face playing at!_?

"_Wait… please stop!"_ Ciel shouted nervously as he struggled to push Freckles' hand back.

"But you'll catch a cold like this!" Freckles argued, refusing to give up. _"Here!"_ He shouted triumphantly when he finally managed to yank Ciel's shirt up.

"_Sto…"_ Ciel started to shout, but it was too late. Freckles had already seen _it_. Freckles' eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the vicious scar from when Ciel had been branded by the cult.

_SLAP!_

"_Let go of me!"_ Ciel shouted furiously as he slapped Freckles' hand away and ran.


	100. That Butler, Perfoms3

_****_I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Performs 3<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_Wait… please stop!" Ciel shouted nervously as he struggled to push Freckles' hand back._

"_But you'll catch a cold like this!" Freckles argued, refusing to give up. "Here!" He shouted triumphantly when he finally managed to yank Ciel's shirt up._

"_Sto…" Ciel started to shout, but it was too late. Freckles had already seen it. Freckles' eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the vicious scar from when Ciel had been branded by the cult._

_SLAP!_

"_Let go of me!" Ciel shouted furiously as he slapped Freckles' hand away and ran._

* * *

><p>Freckles watched dejectedly as his new friend ran off, feeling a little guilty. Jumbo placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder while the other men watched, wondering what had just happened.<p>

"Wot's all the fuss?" One man murmured. "Did they get into it?"

"What's wiv 'im?" Dagger wondered. He hadn't been paying attention to their little argument, but it was unusual to see the perky freckles so dejected. All of them were too preoccupied with the scene in front of them to notice the stoic demon butler behind them. Sebastian had arrived with some towels just in time to see Ciel and Freckles' little drama scene. He sighed. Even though Ciel had just ordered the demon not to leave the boy alone and not treat him like his master, that was not longer an option—What would Chêne say if he let her 'cute little brother' catch a cold?

=†=†=†=†=

Ciel was shivering terribly, despite having sat down and having hugged his knees closer in an attempt to concentrate his body heat. He had run always the way past the sleeping tents and was now hidden amongst some 'gypsy covered wagons that were being used for storage. Ciel knew he shouldn't be out in the cold like this, soaking wet, but he wasn't ready to go back yet. _He couldn't._

FWAP~

The young earl didn't show it, but he was a little surprised when he felt something soft and warm being gently laid over him. For a brief moment, he almost thought it was Chêne bringing him the blanket.

"You will catch a cold." Sebastian chided him slightly as he presented Ciel with some neatly folded articles of dry clothing. "Please change into these." Despite being given the blanket, Ciel was still shivering a little. However, the boy made no move to take the clothing from him.

"… Had enough." Ciel mumbled lowly, just barely loud enough for the demon to hear.

"Yes?" Sebastian asked, wondering just what Ciel had 'had enough' of.

"_I've had enough!"_ Ciel shouted much louder this time. _"I'll go mad if I'm made to continue living like this!_!" he ranted. Ciel hadn't been shivering just because of the cold—he had been shaking with anger and frustration, too.

"Oh dear… are you giving up already?" Sebastian asked, sighing. "You lack fortitude." If Ciel didn't know better, he might have thought the demon was slightly disappointed in him, but then the ghost of a smirk snaked it's way onto Sebastian's lips. "Going mad from something of this sort… _**is not like Young Master at all**__."_ He stated ominously, causing Ciel to shiver as an entirely different sort of _chill_ when the demon's words conjured up haunting memories best left forgotten from his time with that depraved cult.

"Hah…" Ciel exhaled, calming himself. "Not like me… hm…? Indeed." Ciel said, clenching his fist underneath the blanket. "I, the head of the Phantomhive family, living like this… No, it ought not to _be like me_ at all." Ciel stated haughtily as he threw his head back defiantly.

_FLAP._

"We'll get this over with quickly." Ciel decided as he stood and tossed the blanket aside so he could change into the dry clothes. Just sitting there and brooding wasn't going to help him accomplish anything.

"—As you wish." Sebastian replied dutifully, smirking slightly as he placed a hand upon his breast.

"In any case…" Ciel said thoughtfully as the demon butler started helping him change. "… We need only investigate the tents of the first string before we depart. I thought I would quietly aim to be promoted there… but I can't afford to leisurely bide my time in this environment. I'm at my wits' end."

"Chêne and I cannot go out at night, as the Reaper is in the way." Sebastian stated. To be honest, he too was growing tired of this cumbersome situation. "_Forcing our way through will be the easiest approach."_

Ciel twitched. He didn't particularly like the sound of that…

"The grim reaper may be around, but that does not mean they are guilty." Ciel told the demon calmly. After all, people die every day for perfectly mundane reasons, and many of these acts were actually rather dangerous—What if the Reaper was simply here because he was expecting some kind of 'Final Destination' type of freak-accident to happen here soon? "Just lie low for now."

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied obediently as he draped the blanket over Ciel's shoulders again now that his young master was somewhat dry again, slightly disappointed. He really was growing tired of having to share his Chêne with that uptight Reaper…

"We should snoop around when the members of the first string have left their tents to perform." Ciel said, shaking his head a little to rid his hair of some excess water, like a little wet puppy. If Chêne had been there, she might have had some difficulty restraining herself from glomping the young earl in this moment of cuteness. "But first I have to thin of a way to shake off that clingy freckle face…" he added thoughtfully as he sat down on a nearby crate so Sebastian could wipe his legs and feet clean of the dirt that had gotten on them somehow. "If I can't move freely, there's no point to this at all…" Ciel let out a deep sigh, earning him a curious glance from the demon. "… I'd like to return to the manor quickly and eat some of Chêne's butterscotch 'lava' cakes over a cup of hot tea." The young earl said wistfully. That warm, ooey-gooey filling in the small cake's center, combined with the soft, yet slightly crispy outside was simply heavenly... especially one a cold winter day such as this.

"Heh." Sebastian laughed softly, smirking slightly. "We shall have them ready upon our return."

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, back with Chêne…}

"Hmm… I wonder where those two went…" Chêne said thoughtfully as she wandered through the camp, trying to figure out what her husband and 'little brother' were up to. They had better not be doing something interesting or fun without her…

"Ah!" Someone gasped suddenly from behind her.

Chêne whipped her head around, wondering who it was, and if she had somehow gotten herself in trouble. Ciel would _not_ be pleased. She sighed internally with relief when she saw that it was just Ciel's roommate.

"I thought that was you, Cat!" Freckles exclaimed, smiling. The petite girl had bundled herself up even more after taking a quick cat-bath in the women's 'shower', so it was a little harder to recognize her at glance with her scarf covering most of her face. Freckles figured she must be the type that felt the cold more than others, like Snake. Snake always seemed to be shivering when it was below a certain temperature, too.

"Oh, hey, Freckles!" Chêne said, giving the kid a friendly smile as she pulled down her scarf to talk. It seems Ciel seemed had finally given Freckles the slip. "What's up? Are you lookin' for Smile?" She asked curiously. Since Freckles seemed to have a knack for finding and sticking to Ciel like glue, maybe this kid might know where he had gone?

She was surprised when Freckles flinched guiltily, and dropped the smile.

"Uh, well… Yeah, ya see…" Freckles started to mumble a little nervously, avoiding her gaze. "I–I kinda think I mightta… done somethin' bad to him…"

Chêne blinked, surprised. Did Freckles see or hear something that could get them in trouble? She hoped not. Freckles didn't strike her as a snitch, but you never know with some people…

"… Something bad? Like what?" She asked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern, hoping nothing too serious had happened.

"I, uh… well, I was showin' Smile the showers, and since he didn't seem ta be used to doin' it our way, I thought I'd help him, but…" Freckles explained hesitantly, hoping Cat wouldn't be too mad once she learned what had happened. "I kinda… saw his, you know… his scar." Chêne raised an eyebrow, surprised and worried now. _Crap._

"You mean the one on his back, right?" She stated more than asked. She knew that was the only one freckles could have been talking about, since Ciel had been lucky enough not to receive any other permanent scars, thanks to her great-great-great-great-Grandma Hazel's special healing salve recipe—_that thing was a miracle worker_—It's just too bad it doesn't work as well on burns that have already healed and scarred over. Even the old, tried-and-true family 'cure-all' couldn't have fixed that bad mother…

Freckles nodded, guilty as charged.

"I thought he was just bein' shy, so I didn't realize I was in the wrong 'til it was too late…" Freckles admitted, cautiously meeting her eyes to see what her reaction was, braced for a scolding similar or worse to the one she had given Smile at earlier when they were cooking. But it never came.

Chêne just sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment. It could have been worse, but this certainly was a disastrous recipe for trouble in paradise. Ciel was really sensitive about letting anyone other than her and Sebastian see that scar, since it was a constant reminder to him of how much those cult bastards had made him suffer, and Chêne didn't blame him.

"Well, yeah… I'm not going to lie to you, Freckles…_That's pretty bad."_ Chêne said frankly. Freckles visibly drooped at that, crestfallen, and clearly upset and full of remorse and guilt. Chêne smiled wanly at this, raised her hand, and placed it gently on top of Freckles' head. "But it wasn't like you did it on purpose, right? Smile doesn't like to talk about it, so you couldn't have known. Don't beat yourself up too much over it. Just be more careful next time, okay? Everyone has one or two things they don't want anyone to know. You've got them too, right—things you'd rather keep to yourself?" Chêne continued a little more gently. It was obvious Freckles hadn't meant any harm, and she had no doubts that Ciel had probably already snapped at the poor kid for it, so there was no point in her doing the same. "That boy can be a little stubborn, so I can't say for sure if he'll be able to forgive you right away, but please try apologizing anyway. He can be a bit antisocial and difficult to get along with at times, but he's a good kid… So, could you please continue playing with him anyway?" Chêne said, giving freckles an encouraging smile. This seemed to make Freckles feel a little better, because Freckles perked up a bit with her encouragement.

" 'Kay, Cat… thanks for not yellin' at me." Freckles said, giving her a small smile. Smile was really lucky to have such an understanding older sister. Actually, Cat reminded Freckles of Joker a little, since he sometimes patted Freckles on the head like this…

"By the way…" Chêne said, bringing Freckles back to attention. "What were you doing in the men's shower… aren't you a girl?" She asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Haha, yeah, but I'm a bit of a tomboy, so no one really sees me like one—I'm actually a bit surprised ye figured it out so quick-like!" Freckles said, smiling wryly, as she laughed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh, is that so?" Chêne asked, sweat dropping. Wasn't it kind of obvious…?

"Ah, there ye are!" Joker said when he spotted the two girls. "Say, I know it's only ye first full day here and all, but do you think ye could do us a favor, Cat?" He asked hopefully.

=†=†=†=†=

"I see, so you're homesick already…" Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. Sebastian had just finished recounting his earlier conversation with Ciel once the two of them finally found her again. Snake had been kind enough to point them to the prop tent, and it was surprising empty. Chêne was the only one working in there, so it was actually a rather convenient place for them to talk.

"_I am not!"_ Ciel snapped back indignantly, vein throbbing on his forehead. Well, maybe he was, but he didn't appreciate being treated like a child. "… And just what are you planning on doing with that box?" He added, sweat dropping, as he watched her continue her work on decorating the small box that she had just finished putting together when they walked in.

"Oh, this? It's a prop for my act!" Chêne replied, grinning impishly.


	101. That Butler, Perfoms4

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That<strong>**_ Butl_er, Performs 4**_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I see, so you're homesick already…" Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she sweat dropped. Sebastian had just finished recounting his earlier conversation with Ciel after the two of them finally found her again._

"_I am not!" Ciel snapped back indignantly, vein throbbing on his forehead. Well, maybe he was, but he didn't appreciate being treated like a child. "… And just what are you planning on doing with that box?" He added, sweat dropping, as he watched her continue her work on decorating the small box that she had just finished making when they walked in._

"_Oh, this? It's a prop for my act!" Chêne replied, grinning impishly._

* * *

><p>{Later that evening…}<p>

The circus was quickly filling up as the curious citizens of London came strolling in one after another to purchase the tickets that would allow them to partake in the gay festivities of the evening and see what had promised to be the show of a lifetime. So, naturally, everyone not involved with managing the midway was rushing to help the First Stringers finish up the preparations for all their costumes and setting up the props for their acts. Ciel, Sebastian, and Chêne were no exceptions.

"Have you seen my hair ornament?" Wendy asked Chêne while they were both trying to finish doing their hair.

"Um, no. Have you seen my cap and veil?" She asked, sweat dropping. During the chaos of everyone rushing to get ready all at once, it seems a few items had been moved around or misplaced.

"Here they are." Sebastian told them as he handed over their accessories, flashing them his trademark shit-eating grin, while poor Ciel was running around like a chicken with his head cut off. It seemed like the second he thought he might be free, someone else wanted something from him.

"_I don't 'ave enough knives! My spares! Where'd they go!_?" Dagger yelled.

"_Yes!"_ Ciel shouted, sweating, as he rushed over. Damn Sebastian for snatching up the easy job of assisting Chêne for himself!

=†=†=†=†=

{Under the Big Top, skipping ahead a bit…}

"Now we have a special treat for you tonight, ladies and gents…" Joker announced as Sebastian carried out the small box that Chêne had decorated with an Arabian motif and set it down gently in the center stage. An exotic song that was a cross between the music they had played during Snake's act and the Arabian coffee suite from the Nutcracker ballet started up in the background. "Always landing on her feet and more flexible than any feline… feast your eyes on our lovely new contortionist!" Joker declared, sweeping his hand in grand gesture towards the small box, as he and Black stepped aside so Chêne could begin her act.

Admittedly, the audience was a bit puzzled when Chêne didn't immediately walk out onto the stage, and they weren't sure what she intended to do with such a small box… After all, it looked far too small for a human to fit inside of (in on piece, at least) no matter how you looked at it. So, you can imagine their surprise when a slender arm gracefully rose up from within, followed shortly by its twin, as a lovely young girl in a harem costume slowly ascended from the shallow depths of the small box, like a snake being coaxed out by its charmer.

They oohed and awed when she gave them a sly little smile and wink before setting her hands on the side of the box, bracing herself, so she could lift her legs out of the box and pulled herself up into a handstand. She then slowly spread her legs apart, lowering them to the left and right of her torso in a side split while still suspended in a handstand, pausing briefly, before transitioning into a front split so that she could roll herself forward off of the box and onto her right foot, setting herself up for three continuous flips that ended in another front split.

The audience loved it.

Chêne smiled, grinning impishly, as she jumped to her feet and took of running back towards the box. She made a small leap at it, placing one foot on the edge of the opening and the other on the bottom side as it stared to tip over from the force of her impact. She let herself continue the fall forward, tucking her head in, as she rolled into a somersault. The moment she was on her feet again, she did a back handspring onto the box, placing her hands flat against the solid bottom of the box, as she transitioned into a backbend that resulted in both of her feet being touched to her cap. She smiled while the audience applauded her show of dexterity and flexibility.

She had gone through the trouble of repositioning the box just for this purpose. Chêne had turned the open box into a small platform.

From there, she lowered herself into a chest stand, and then a triple fold, so that her knees came all the way down to rest on the box, and her shins were parallel to the floor.

Sebastian smirked as he watched his wife continue to surprise and astound the excited audience with more incredible contortions and feats of agility. He certainly was glad to have had a chance to see her act for himself. It really was quite… _interesting_…

=†=†=†=†=

"—Haah…" Ciel sighed tiredly and plopped himself down on a stool, positively exhausted. When that traitor Sebastian had gone off to assist with Chêne's act (only needed to carry the box with her in it), he had been left at the mercy of the other performers, who had used and worked him like some slave or an underpaid intern—_relentlessly_ and without mercy_. _'_Will I get to investigate the tents first, or will I collapse from fatigue first?'_ He wondered wearily, sweat dropping.

At least he finally had a moment to catch his breath now that Chêne and all of the other performers had all gone to the main tent so they could be on standby for their acts.

"Um… What should I do during the performance?" Ciel started to ask a little hesitantly as he looked up again, only to be greeted by silence. "Nn?" Ciel said, puzzled. He glanced around the tent. "Nn?" he said, again, surprised when he realized only a few other stagehands had remained behind. Even Freckle-face was gone…

—_CLATTER!_!

Ciel gasped in realization as he suddenly shot to his feet again. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen his noisy roommate ever since Sebastian found him by the wagons earlier—What luck! He had been so busy, that he hadn't even realized he had already been freed of his one of his biggest obstacles! Even though Joker had decided to let Chêne perform, she still wasn't considered a member of the First String yet. He was done with waiting patiently—He wanted to finish the investigation and leave as soon as possible!

"Sebastian!" Ciel shouted, calling his butler to attention, when he returned to the tent, carrying Chêne's box once again.

The demon was slightly taken aback when he saw that Ciel was practically sprinting towards him. What a rare sight. Perhaps he would soon be able to see a pig take flight as well…?

"_I lost Freckle Face!"_ Ciel exclaimed as Sebastian gently set the box down on the ground.

Good thing, too, because the next thing Ciel did was grab the demon butler by the lapel of his waistcoat, and in his surprise, Sebastian was actually jarred a little by it. It wouldn't have been very good if this had caused him to shake the box…

"Who knows when we'll get another chance. Let's look into the tents now and be done with it!" Ciel told him, so focused on this single thought, that he barely even registered the fact that Chêne was now carefully removing herself from the box once again. To conclude her act, she had let the audience watch as she folded herself up and reentered it before Sebastian carted her off the stage.

"!" Ciel said, slightly taken aback. He hadn't realized Chêne was actually inside that thing… How on earth had she managed to fit in such an impossibly small box in the first place…?

"Okay, but I can't be gone long, or they'll notice." Chêne chimed in while she did a quick stretch and grabbed her coat.

"Right, _we'll settle this all in ten minutes!"_ Ciel declared.

"_Yes, my lord."_ Sebastian replied faithfully as the three of them dashed off together.

Unfortunately, they didn't manage to get very far.

"_Black!"_ Joker shouted, causing the three of them to freeze in their tracks. They all glanced warily back at the ringleader-for-hire, waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop. Could it be their cover had been blown already?

Joker wasn't alone. Peter and Wendy were with him, and he was carrying the latter on his back. They all seemed to be rather worried and anxious about something.

"Big sis Wendy here sprained her ankle and can't perform." Joker told them. A nervous bead of sweat rolled down the side of the juggler's face. "So, Black… _you go instead."_ Joker said determinedly. The show_ must _go on_._ "Black oughta be fine out there, so please."

'_Big_ sis…?' Chêne thought, sweat dropping. Just how old _was_ this small girl really if _Joker_ was calling her that_!_? And she had thought _her_ baby face was bad... No wonder their stage names were 'Peter' and 'Wendy'...

"…_!"_ Ciel gasped, gritting his teeth. What rotten luck! Why did this have to happen _now_?

"You're going to be up any minute now, so get ready!" Joker said, taking Sebastian's silence for a yes, as he and the deceptively young looking trapeze artists left to find Doc.

"Young Master." Sebastian said, sighing, though he didn't look nearly as disappointed as Ciel. "It is a shame, but let us investigate at another time."

"Why? It won't be as easy without your help, but the two of us could still give it a shot while you're performing." Chêne said practically. "The only problem is those snakes… I'm pretty sure a lot of them are poisonous." Not to mention, she was also pretty sure Snake really could talk to them, so it would be like trying to sneak into a place being watched by cameras that could attack if you got too close. Chêne suddenly felt as though she had been sucked into an episode of _Mission Impossible_.

"…" Ciel said as he raised a hand to his chin, deep in thought. It was so cold, they could see his breath. Chêne shivered slightly as she held her arms. Even if she was slightly less sensitive to the cold now, it still got to her after a while.

"?" Sebastian said as he glanced at the young earl, raising an eyebrow. He couldn't actually be considering Chêne's suggestion, could he? Sebastian did _not_ like the idea of them wandering about on their own in such a dangerous area without him. "Young Master?" He asked, prompting the boy for an answer.

"I can't dawdle here forever. And this may be the only time Freckle Face isn't around." Ciel stated as he turned to look at the chart that had been hung from one of the lanterns outside the tent. "We have time. Like Chêne said, the poisonous snakes are the only problem. According to the timetable, you finish performing at 7:50. The encore is at 8:00." Ciel turned back to Sebastian and grabbed the butler's pocket watch so he could check the time for himself. "You have five minutes to capture all the snakes and the proceed to the performance. At 7:50, you'll return backstage momentarily, free all the snakes, and then you and Chêne will appear in the encore." He stated, snapping the watch shut as he handed it back. "I'll take care of the rest. Let's go!"

"As you wish." Sebastian replied dutifully, though Chêne noticed he didn't seem very enthusiastic about their new plan.

=†=†=†=†=

_TIE._

"That is all of them." Sebastian stated as he tied the last of the guard snakes in a knot.

Chêne sweat dropped. She still didn't really get why Sebastian felt that was necessary since they were putting them all in cage anyway. She felt kind of sorry for them… It looked _really _uncomfortable.

"Don't worry, it's just for a little while." She told them as Sebastian dropped the last one in and closed the cage. "And I've got a heater here for you, so you won't freeze."

"Good. You go to the big top. They'll be suspicious if you're late." Ciel told Sebastian, deciding not to comment on Chêne's conversation with the snakes.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied. He paused as he lifted the tent flap. "I will return soon." He added, giving them both fair warning.

=†=†=†=†=

{Back at the Big Top...}

Sebastian was so disturbed by the sight that greeted him upon his return to the main tent, that you could actually _see_ just how thrown the demon butler was by the priceless affronted expression currently gracing his normally composed visage.

It's a shame Ciel wasn't there to see it.

"_Why must I pair up with you?"_ Suit demanded as he glared at the demon with disdain, adjusting his glasses. Was it perhaps a nervous tick?

"Was Miss Wendy not the only one who was hurt?" Sebastian asked Dagger, wondering what _genius_ could have possibly come up with this recipe for disaster. He would have thought _Hell would freeze over_ before he ever _worked together_ with a reaper.

"I can't agree to this." Suit stated bluntly, hoping that if he was obstinate enough, he might be able to get out of it.

Sebastian sighed in annoyance as he sweat-dropped.

"I do not want to either." Sebastian said honestly, wishing he could at least ask if Chêne could be his partner for the act instead. "But we cannot help it." Chêne was currently in the middle of committing an act of espionage with Ciel, so suggesting such a thing would not be wise, since Dagger may insist on looking for her himself.

"I can't believe I have to work together with a noxious beast… Really." Suit muttered moodily as he readjusted his glasses again. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew Sebastian was right. If he explained _why_ he had a legitimate reason for not wanting to work with the demon, then both their covers would be blown… _how tedious_.

Sebastian sighed again. He was glad the Reaper had decided not to kick up a fuss, but he had a feeling this was going to be a _long_ night… The chain on his pocket watch jingled as he took it out to check the time.

"7:30." The demon read, snapping it shut again.


	102. That Butler, Perfoms5

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Performs 5<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

"_I can't believe I have to work together with a noxious beast… Really." Suit muttered moodily as he readjusted his glasses again. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew Sebastian was right. If he explained why he had a legitimate reason for not wanting to work with the demon, then both their covers would be blown… how tedious._

_Sebastian sighed again. He was glad the Reaper had decided not to kick up a fuss, but he had a feeling this was going to be a long night… The chain on his pocket watch jingled as he took it out to check the time once more._

"_7:30." The demon read before snapping it shut again._

* * *

><p>"There's nothing much in this tent." Ciel remarked as he and Chêne entered a rather bare tent that had only a bed, a suitcase, a lantern, and a framed picture, which Chêne immediately started inspecting.<p>

"Hey, Ciel, check this out." Chêne said, holding up the photo for him to see.

"Nn? A photograph of children?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. There was something extremely familiar about all of them… "They must be members of the First String."

"I thought so. Joker mentioned before that all the members of the First String grew up in the same town…" Chêne said thoughtfully.

"Nn?" Ciel said, furrowing his brow slightly.

"Something wrong?" Chêne asked.

"Who is this man…?" He asked curiously. All of the children were wearing old, worn out clothes and looked like they might even have been street urchins, but the man they were all gathered around was dressed like a member of the upper class.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile…}

"What are you doing?" Sebastian demanded calmly, frowning slightly, as he stared at the stubborn reaper.

"I refuse to touch a fiend like you." Suit stated bluntly, completely serious. He didn't even bother to hide his distaste for the whole affair.

"_But that will not make for much of a show!"_ Sebastian snapped angrily as a vein throbbed on his head, and the two of them continued to zoom back and forth on their flying trapeze swings while hanging upside down. He wanted to finish this up as quickly as possible so he could return to Chêne and Ciel.

The reaper didn't seem to care, because he just continued to snub the demon.

—^—^—^—

"What are they doing?" Beast asked, sweat dropping, while she and Doll stared up at them. She moved to take a step forward, not realizing the lacing on the back of her corset had gotten snagged on a nail until it was too late.

_SNAP._

"Ah! My lace." Beast said, a little surprised. She frowned ever so slightly in annoyance. _Great._ It figured something like this would happen with the way her luck had been going lately…

"_**Waaah! You guys don't look."**_ Dagger shouted, blushing furiously, as he stepped in front of Beast, waving his arms like a loon.

He seemed to be more upset than the woman herself. In his eyes, the whole incident had looked a lot more risqué and 'dangerous', and those who already knew about the enamored knife thrower's over-active imagination weren't the least bit surprised when his nose started to bleed.

"Sis, there's still time till the encore, so please change!" Dagger pleaded with Beast as he held up a blanket for her to cover herself with in the meantime.

—^—^—^—

"_**!**_**?"** Sebastian said, alarmed when his superhuman hearing picked up on their conversation.

"C'mon!" Joker chided her. It might be a pain to have to change costumes again, but they couldn't very well have her go out like that, and it would be a shame if she had to miss the encore just because of a little costume snafu.

"Oh, fine." Beast finally agreed. She could never say no to Joker.

"_Oh no!"_ Sebastian exclaimed, sweat dropping, as he whipped his head around in time to see Beast exiting the Big Top with the blanket wrapped around her.

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside Beast's tent…}

Chêne had to admit, the woman had style. The interior decorating actually reminded her of Lacey's bedroom… Only Beast didn't seem to share her best friend's fetish for skulls and snakes.

"He's here too." Ciel said as he pulled a framed photograph of a Beast and the same smiling older man out of her trunk.

"Yeah, you're right… It's the same guy from the other photo with the kids." Chêne said thoughtfully as she squatted down beside him to have a look. "I wonder who he is? He doesn't look like he's related to any of them by blood, but they all know him well enough for him to have posed with them for a group portrait…" Photography was still a relatively knew technology in this era, and a camera was _not_ something that your average Joe Schmoe could afford.

=†=†=†=†=

Meanwhile, Beast drew ever closer as she stalked through the rows of tents, holding the blanket close, to protect herself from the chill of the night…

_No wonder_ Snake had wanted to remain fully clothed this evening!

=†=†=†=†=

"_Just give me your hands quick!"_ Sebastian yelled as he held his own out to the stubborn reaper. This was utterly ridiculous—_He needed to get to Chêne and Ciel now!_

"I've already told you—_**Not in a million years**__."_ Suit refused sternly as he pointed his scythe at the demon, willing the pruning shears to shoot forward like a speeding bullet.

_CHAK—!_

A bead of sweat rolled down Sebastian's face when he had to dodge the reaper's sudden attack. Evasive maneuvers weren't nearly as easy to perform while one was hanging upside down from a flying trapeze and trying to act human in front of a large audience that was starting to grow bored with watching the two performers merely swing back and forth over and over again…

"My hands will rot away if I touch you." Suit told the demon, adding insult to attempted injury.

"I understand." Sebastian said, chagrined. Now he was just being nasty. "If you do not want to touch me…" The demon said, furrowing his brow in irritation, as the ghost of a shit-eating grin began to snake its way across his face. "… Then this…"

_GRAB._

"… _Should do!"_ Sebastian shouted as he took hold of the extended Death Scythe and pulled, swinging the obstinate reaper off his perch. The demon butler had to admit; he found Suit's stunned expression quite amusing.

"_KYAAAAAH!" _The members of the audience gasped and screamed collectively in shock and surprise when they saw him fall towards the ground.

=†=†=†=†=

Beast paused for a moment when she heard the roar of the crowd.

"The audience sure is enjoying the show." She thought out loud, wondering what they were doing to make them cheer so loudly that she could hear them all the way in the back.

She was only a few steps away from the beaded rope surrounding the First String tents, now.

=†=†=†=†=

"Hm?" Chêne said when she noticed something in the background of the photo. "This sign behind them… Is it a workhouse?" That would certainly explain the state of the children's clothing, since most of the people running workhouses weren't exactly Oprah. In most workhouse of the Victorian era, the conditions were _intentionally_ made to be on the harsh side in order to discourage the poor from trying to get a free ride, like how some of the people had started taking advantage of the welfare system in the modern America of her world. (Not to say that all people who needed welfare are lazy charlatans, but you know what I mean, right?) They weren't the most children-friendly places either, since some of them were occasionally 'hired out' (more like sold) to work in factories or mines… but the smile of the man in the pictures seemed genuine enough. Maybe they had been lucky?

She hoped so.

=†=†=†=†=

**"_That was close!_!"** Dagger exclaimed, sweating nervously as he watched. Suit had just barely managed to catch hold of that strange stick of his again before he could fall to his doom.

Theses guys were crazy! What the heck did they think they were doing—_were they trying to get themselves killed!_?

—^—^—^—

"Let go of the Death Scythe!" Suit demanded, frowning in irritation, while he started to contract the scythe so that his feet wouldn't scrape against the ground and scuff his shiny black shoes. Perhaps he had over extended it just a tad when he tried to hit the demon before…

"I cannot do that." Sebastian refused, tightening his grip on it, even as the stubborn reaper grew ever closer. He waited, watching as the scythe continued to contract. If he timed it right, then everything could be settled with his next move.

KASHA–KASHA–KASHA–

—This was it, the moment the demonic butler had been waiting for!

"_Hup!_!" Sebastian shouted, furrowing his brow, as he concentrated on swinging the scythe and its owner up, throwing them away, towards the opposite platform.

_SWING._

The audience below watched in stunned amazement as Sebastian launched himself from his perch on the swing, and both reaper and demon performed several successive flips through the air before landing on the opposing platforms for the great trapeze. They both landed safely and expertly stuck their landings.

Sebastian smirked slightly as the audience broke out into a roar of cheers and applause for them. _Mission accomplished._

He gave them all a quick smile and a wave, while the disgruntled grim reaper behind him finished fully contracting his scythe, before rushing off to attend to more urgent matters.

=†=†=†=†=

Beast was only a yard away from her tent now.

—^—^—^—

"So, it looks like they aren't just from the same town, they're also from the same workhouse, too?" Chêne mused, furrowing her brow slightly as the gears started turning in her mind, trying to calculate all the possible meanings and significance this could have for their investigation. She and Ciel were blissfully unaware of the approaching danger.

"But which workhouse is it?" He asked. It was dark in the tent since Beast hadn't left a light on, and they didn't want to light her lantern in case someone saw it and got suspicious.

"I don't know. The kids are blocking my view, and it's kind of hard to make out such small details in the dark, even for me… but I think the first three letters are 'R', 'E', and then part of what could be either an 'N', 'D', 'M', or 'B'… It's hard to tell since his head is blocking part of it as well as second half oh the name, but judging by the size and spacing of the letters on the sign, I'd say the name has about eight letters total, so there's a rather large number of possibilities for what the hidden letters could be…" Chêne said, smiling apologetically at him. Ciel frowned slightly. It was a start, but he didn't want to waste valuable time on guessing games.

'Are there better photos in here—?' Ciel wondered as he started digging through Beast's big trunk again.

—^—^—^—

Beast was standing right outside her tent now. The buxom beauty thought she heard something moving around inside… She reached a delicate but strong hand out, gripping the tent flap. She drew it open swiftly and without warning.

_SHA!_

Beast stared calmly into the quiet and unoccupied tent for a moment. She couldn't see any signs of an intruder, so she decided it must have been her imagination or something.

Putting that aside, she strutted confidently into her tent. She didn't seem to have noticed it when something twitched inside her trunk when she started heading towards it. She just let out a sigh as she dropping the blanket wrapped around her so she could remove her damaged corset.

_FLAP~_

Luckily, she had her back turned, so she didn't notice the suspicious activity taking place behind her. Another corset that matched with her miniskirt was slowing sliding out from under the closed lid of her trunk. Topless, she turned around to look in her trunk. She stared at the corset for a few moments. Was that there a moment ago? She shrugged and yanked it out the rest of the way so she could put it on.

Whatever, it just saved her the trouble of having to look for it. She didn't have much time left before the encore started.

—^—^—^—

_CREAK…_

Once they were certain Beast had left for good, Sebastian slowly lifted the lid of the trunk. The hinges clicked once it was full open again, revealing a stoic Sebastian and a somewhat flustered and chagrined Ciel.

"Phew… I barely made it in time." Sebastian stated calmly. Unlike Ciel, he was completely unfazed by the brief glimpse that they had caught of the topless beauty through the crack when she leaned over to retrieve her spare corset.

"Yeah, that was a close one!" Chêne said, sighing in relief as she dropped down from her hiding place and rolled out from underneath the bed. Since the trunk was already a tight enough squeeze for two, she had elected to conceal herself by clinging to the underside of the bedframe, so that she would be completely invisible from whatever angle Beast approached the bed, just in case.

"…..." Ciel said while a vein mark popped on his forehead. Why couldn't he have been the one to hide under the bed_!_? Not only did he have to suffer the indignity of being stuffed inside such an awkwardly cramped space with his demon butler, but he was feeling more than just a little _embarrassed_ after what he had just seen.

Then again, he probably couldn't have held himself up for as long as Chêne had…

=†=†=†=†=

{One quick explanation later…}

I see, so then you two believe there is something more to that photo." Sebastian concluded thoughtfully as Ciel picked up the very photograph in question.

"Yes." Ciel said definitively. This workhouse was probably where they had all met, so it might hold some clue about their past and the reason for this circus's existence.

"Can you take a look at it, Sebastian?" Chêne asked. "Your eyes are better than mine."

"Let me see." The butler said, holding a hand to his chin as he leaned down to take a closer look. "I recently happened to see the device on this signet ring as a hallmark."

"So you can even see something this small?" Ciel asked while Chêne let out a whistle in appreciation. Sebastian's eyes were amazing—like magnifying lenses.

"Yes. I believe this hallmark…" Sebastian started, focusing as his eyes zoomed in on the tiny ring. "… is the same as the one that was at the base of Miss Beast's prosthetic leg."

"Really? What a _coincidence_…" Chêne remarked a little sarcastically. There was _definitely_ a connection between the two.

Sebastian sweat dropped. He hoped her sarcasm wasn't partly aimed at him as well. Even though Chêne had already said she forgave him, he knew it would be a while before she got around to the 'forgetting' part…

"Young Master, Chêne." He said, pulling out his pocket watch to check the time. He and Chêne were due back at the big top in just a few minutes. "It is nearly time. Let us call it a day."

"Oh, right! We still need to release the snakes and get back in time for the encore." Chêne said, smiling wryly as she sweat dropped. She had gotten so into playing spy with Ciel, that she had almost forgotten about that…

"…" Ciel said, turning his back to them for a moment while he considered their options. He turned back, taking his butler's pocket watch so he could have a look at it for himself.

Sebastian and Chêne exchanged a glance. The young earl sure was being grabby tonight… That made the second time he had snatched the pocket watch from the demon butler…

"I still need to investigate Joker's tent. Time is short, but I still have eight minutes." Ciel said, snapping the watch shut again. He was going to take as much advantage of the First String's absence as possible. The sooner they solved this case, the sooner they could finally return to the comfort of his manor. "So we don't arouse any suspicions, you two go back first. I'll finish everything today. After the encore, beat the First String back here and release the snakes. Got it_!_?" Ciel ordered Chêne and Sebastian, tossing the watch back to the butler, as he dashed off.

"Got it." Chêne said, grinning, as she flashed him an 'OK' sign with her fingers.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian replied dutifully, bowing slightly as he placed a hand over his heart, smirking ever so slightly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Inside Joker's tent…}

'From his attire, he's well-to-do or a noble. Is he a philanthropist, since he's in these photos with children from a workhouse?' Ciel wondered while he continued his search for clues.

He wasn't finding anything particularly useful in the trunk, but the young earl perked up a bit when he spied what seemed to be a paper envelope peeking out from underneath Joker's pillow.

"A letter?" He thought aloud to himself as he removed the already opened envelope from its hiding place and turned it over in his hand. A crest with a horse and an ornate 'K' had been pressed into the wax seal, and '_From Tom, the piper's son'_ was the only thing written upon it.

"The piper's son? As in the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose?" Ciel mused, furrowing his brow slightly, as he removed the letter inside the envelope.

The young earl's eyes widened in shock when he saw its contents. A bead of cold, nervous sweat rolled down his neck.

"Why…? This…" Ciel stuttered nervously as his hands started to tremble. There it was, typed in bold print at the very top of the page:

_Ciel Phantomhive  
>Birth: 14<em>_th__. December. 1875._

'… _is my name!_!' He finished yelling in his mind. This wasn't just any letter—_someone had sent Joker detailed background information on him!_!

_What was the meaning of this—!_?

=†=†=†=†=

"Well done, everyone!" Joker said brightly once the show was over. The show had been a big hit with the audience! "Oh, where's Black?" He asked curiously when he noticed the ex-butler was missing. Cat was just exiting the costume tent after retrieving her coat, but Black wasn't with her. Joker found that a bit unusual, since they seemed like such a close couple.

"Uh…" Chêne said, smiling wryly, as she rubbed the back of her neck, trying to think of an excuse that wouldn't sound too stupid. She knew exactly where her husband was, and she was starting to wish he had waited for her instead of taking off on his own... This was kinda of awkward...

" 'E went off runnin' after the encore." Dagger chimed in carelessly. "Musta been dyin' to piss or summat?" He added, smiling wryly, as he glanced at Chêne for confirmation. Pretty much everyone was ready to get back to their tents and hit the sack after working so hard for the show.

"Yeah, sure…" Chêne said, sweat dropping, as she let out a nervous little laugh. She was glad for Dagger's assistance, but… Well, at least it was better than nothing… right?

"Ahhh…" Joker said, smiling wryly with comprehension. "Yeah, that does happen…" He understood now why Cat had hesitated to reply. She had struck him as being more on the delicate and ladylike side than most of the other girls in their troupe, so of course she wouldn't want to just blurt out that her husband had run off to relieve his blader...

"…" Suit said, frowning slightly, as he watched the seen with his eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion. What was that noxious beast up to now…?

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile…}

The liberated snakes hissed as they slithered across the ground, keeping at Sebastian's heels. They were pissed, but they didn't bite him since he smelled of danger.

The demon smirked as he stepped out of the tent. His eyes seemed to give of an eerie glow in the light of the full moon.

=†=†=†=†=

'Why_!_? Why is my name here_!_?' Ciel wondered, alarmed. 'Do they know who I am_!_?' He gasped, flinching in surprise when he realized he could hear the sound of people chattering growing closer and closer. _'Damn!_! _The First String is back!'_ He shouted internally, shoving the letter back under Joker's pillow. He needed to get out of there, _now._ Ciel sweated nervously as he snuck out of the tent and ducked behind some crates in between two neighboring tents to hide from the approaching troupe members.

"…" Ciel said, trying to remain perfectly still, so they wouldn't sense his presence as they passed by. Lucky for him, they were all too absorbed with their conversation about how hungry they were to notice anything that might have been out of place at the moment. '… Dammit. I came in too far.' He realized a little too late while he remained crouched down in his hiding place. 'I have to get back before they find me.'

"_Hey."_ A commanding voice said as Ciel suddenly found himself being illuminated by a light from above. It was the tightrope walker, Doll. The lantern she was holding cast an eerie glow upon her pretty face as she stared down at the surprised boy she had just discovered hiding behind the crates. _"What're you doing here?"_

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> Sorry everyone, but it has recently been brought to my attention that there may be a copy-cat plagiarizing this story out there... It seems that from the way it was written, it was pretty much just copied and pasted with the some of the names changed. Chene's name was changed to 'Alice' and in some parts, she left the original name in accidentally, and in the part when they meet her family, pompom's name is there but is mostly replaced with 'NumNum'... Ugh (=_=;;)

Unfortunately, my source for this info couldn't remember the story's title or its author. I'm not going to throw a hussy fit or flame them or anything, but I really want to know who did this so I can check it out for myself, because I work really hard on all my stories, but this one is _my baby_! (D:) Depending on how bad it is, I might need to have a talk with this other author, and I won't try to harass them to take it down if they will at least include a disclaimer in it somewhere that gives me credit for being their inspiration.

So _please_ let me know if you come across this fic or remember seeing it for yourself. I'm trying to find it as well, but there's a lot of stuff to sift through...! (^_^;)  
>Thanks in advance.<p> 


	103. That Butler, Parleying

Author's note: I hope everyone had a happy Thanks Giving holiday, and I'm sorry for the wait, but I had final projects all last week, and today I just finished my last exams—Yay! So, I hopped on here and started typing up a new chap while laughing gleefully and maniacally over my new-found freedom. I hope htere aren't too many typos since my brain's still a little fried (^_^;). I tried to make it a longer to make up for the wait and I want to thank everyone for their support over this copy-cat thing!

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><em><strong>That Butler, Parleying<strong>_

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

'… _Dammit. I came in too far.' He realized a little too late while he remained crouched down in his hiding place. 'I have to get back before they find me.'_

"_Hey." A commanding voice said as Ciel suddenly found himself being illuminated by a light from above. It was the tightrope walker, Doll. The lantern she was holding cast an eerie glow upon her pretty face as she stared down at the surprised boy she had just discovered hiding behind the crates. "What're you doing here?"_

* * *

><p>"Hey. What're you doing here?" Doll repeated when Ciel didn't answer her.<p>

A bead of nervous sweat rolled down his cheek as he stared up at her. _No. He couldn't let himself get caught here._

"Se—" He tried to summon the demon butler, but he had hesitated too long.

_GRAB!_

"_Don't move."_ Doll commanded ominously as she leaned over him, keeping a firm grip on the startled boy's face with the hand she had suddenly placed over his mouth to silence him.

_Damn—Now he couldn't even call Sebastian for help!_!

"Heeey theeere, Doooll~!" Someone called out to her, causing Ciel to twitch.

His dire situation was getting worse and worse by the second!

"Wot's Doll doin'?" Dagger asked Snake, wondering why she wasn't answering and why she was crouching down by a bunch of crates.

Snake didn't reply. He was too busy shivering from the cold and consoling the snake perched on his shoulders. For some reason, the bloke always seemed to have one on him, and Dagger briefly wondered if Snake would talk at all without his scaly little friends to translate for. Whenever he spoke, it was to relay what one of his snakes had told him… Not that Dagger could blame Snake for being shy around other humans, not with his history…

"Snake_!_!" Doll shouted suddenly with wide eyes.

"_!_!" Ciel gasped, his expression darkening as he furrowed his brow. Just as he thought, she—_!_!

"A deadly snake was roamin' 'round." She deadpanned as she popped back up and spun around to face her fellow First Stringers, thrusting out her hand to show them the poisonous snake she had just found.

"_Uwah!"_ Dagger cried. _What was Doll thinking—picking up such a dangerous thing!_?

"Don't we keep sayin' not to let these buggers have free rein of the place?" She chided Snake. She wasn't really mad, but he should be more careful. It'd be bad if someone actually got bitten.

"?" Ciel said, sweat dropping, while he watched from his hiding place. He wondered what Doll was up to. Hadn't she been about to turn him in just now…?

"Why ye—! Keep 'em to yer tent like ye ought!" Dagger shouted nervously, paling and breaking out into a nervous sweat when the snake started to writhe and hiss in her hand, trying to escape. "Eeeek!" He flinched in shock and screamed like a girl when Doll decided to let it go, and the snake slithered past him on its way back to its owner.

"…" Snake said as it joined the one already perched on his shoulder and started hissing something in his ear.

"I don't wanna give up the ghost all sudden 'n' unawares, like!" Dagger scolded Snake, sweat dropping. "Sheesh, give us a break, mate!"

"…" Doll said as she watched both of the guys walk away in opposite directions. Snake was probably headed back to warmth of his own tent, and Dagger was most likely going to get a bite at the dining tent since he had just been talking about how hungry he was.

FWIP.

Ciel flinched when she suddenly whipped her head back around to stare at him, a little startled.

"This way." She said, taking hold of his wrist to guide him.

"_!_?" Ciel said, beyond confused. Wait—_what!_?

"Quick!" She urged him, dragging him along, as she started to run.

"_!_?" He exclaimed, surprised. Could it be… she really _was_ trying to _help_ him? _Why?_

=†=†=†=†=

"Don't touch that rope." Doll instructed him as she showed him how to crawl underneath the beaded rope that marked the boundary around the First String's territory. Ciel sweat dropped as he followed closely behind her, trying to avoid looking up her tutu's skirt while she was bent over in front of him.

…

"We ought to be safe here." She told Ciel once she felt they had gotten far enough away. Poor Ciel was huffing and puffing from having to keep up with the girl's pace. She was a lot faster than she looked…

"Wh—Why did you rescu—_koff!_" Ciel asked a little nervously, blushing out of embarrassment, as he coughed. Despite his efforts to act like a gentleman, he had still caught a glimpse up her skirt by accident during their little escape.

Doll sighed. Sheesh, this kid was slow!

"Ya don't recognize me yet?" She asked him, pulling on the bow under her chin.

_SHWP~_ FWAP!

"It's me. _Me!_" She chided him as she removed her flowery headdress, revealing her true identity. Ciel's eyes widened.

"_Ah…"_ He gasped, paling slightly, as he pointed at the person standing before him, _completely_ caught off-guard. _"Freckle Face…!_?" He shouted incredulously. This beautiful 'girl' was actually his fool of a roommate_!_? _"You're a boy… yet you dress like that…!_?" The young earl turned blue with shock as he took a step back, retreating.

Nevermind that he had once cross-dressed himself for certain reasons—the young earl wanted to put some _distance_ between himself and this weirdo, who seemed to _enjoy_ doing it on a nightly basis...!

"Oi, 't'ain't _'Freckle Face', bub!_!" She shouted, flinching in shock, as an idiot hair popped out on her head. _"What a rude feller, y'are!_!"

Why was he backing away like she was some kind of freak_!_? Cat had realized what she was right away, so why was her brother acting so thick_!_?

"I'm an honest-to-goodness maid, I am." Freckles insisted, taking Ciel's hand and placing it on one of her humble breasts.

_SQUISH~_

"**See?"** She asked, somewhat amused, when several idiot hairs spiked on the boy's head after involuntarily feeling for himself how real her breast was.

"…_**.**_**!**_**!**_**?"** Ciel shouted in alarm, blushing furiously, as yanked his hand back and practically _flew _backwards in his hasty retreat.

"Wanna give us a tickle down there too to make sure~?" Freckles teased, grinning a little deviously, as she took a step closer to the embarrassed and bewildered boy. His reaction was so priceless, she just couldn't help teasing him a little more!

"_**No thank you!**_**!" **Ciel snapped in embarrassment, clearly scandalized. _What was wrong with this girl!_?

"Well?" Freckles asked, getting back to business, while Ciel coughed again. "Why were ya o'er there? Ya heard 'bout the venomous snakes from brother Joker, din't cha?" She asked sternly, crossing her arms. What was Smile thinking, wandering around such a dangerous place all by himself?

"Erm…" Ciel said hesitantly, trying to think of the best course of action for this situation. 'No choice but to play it like I'm a thief for the present, hm?' He decided.

"_I'm sorry!_! _I haven't messed with or taken anything at all today, I swear! Please don't kick me out of here!"_ He pleaded desperately, holding his head in shame, while forcing his personality into a complete 180° flip.

"Today_!_?" Freckles shouted incredulously, flinching in shock. "_You!"_

"I lived in the East End, before I met Cat and she helped me become a page boy… and I did everything necessary to survive." Ciel continued quickly. He needed to get her on his side somehow, and after seeing those photographs, he was pretty sure this kind of story would work. "I know I shouldn't steal, but I can't seem to break the bad habits from back then… Even at the manor, after everything she did to help me, when they found out about it…" The small boy started to tremble. "… I—! I can't keep causing trouble for Cat any more—_Not after all she's done for me! I'll just keep dragging her down! If I'm thrown out of here, I'll have to return to the East End again—!"_ He cried pitifully, squeezing his eyes shut, as though trying not to cry.

Freckles sweat dropped as she stared at the shaking boy.

_Whoa…_

'Was my acting too obvious?' Ciel wondered. He didn't over do it, did he?

"… So ya really haven't stolen anythin', yeah?" Freckles asked carefully once she had considered everything he had just told her. Though he had a history of causing trouble, it sounded like no real harm had been done yet, and he sounded sincere enough. And Cat never would've brought him along if she thought he did this kind of stuff on purpose, right? Smile probably couldn't help himself.

"No! I swear to God." Ciel told her earnestly, clasping his hands together. He was the very picture of innocence.

"Ohhh, aaall right." Freckles said, sighing as she rubbed the back of her neck. She just couldn't stay mad at this kid… and she could sympathize with his checkered past. She wasn't exactly a saint, either. She just hoped she wasn't going to end up regretting this later…

"Th–_Then—!_?" Ciel asked excitedly.

"Well, I owe ya one, after all." She explained, sighing again. This kid really had no clue how lucky he was that _she_ had been the one to find him. She'd definitely have to help Cat keep an eye on him in the future, for his own sake.

"Thank you so much_!_!" Ciel exclaimed brightly, overflowing with gratitude.

It seemed he _really _wanted to stay with his 'big sis', and Freckles didn't blame him. She smiled softly, remembering her own encounter with the amiable and caring Cat.

"Everyone's got one or two things they don't want no one to know. I know that, but…" Freckles said thoughtfully, repeating what the older girl had told her earlier that day. "… I wronged ya this afternoon." She said regretfully, referring to the incident where she saw his scar.

Luckily, she didn't seem to notice when Ciel twitched involuntarily at the memory of his earlier humiliation, and the young earl's expression darkened dangerously for a brief moment as he furrowed his brow. However, it was gone when she raised her head to look at him again.

"So, I'll keep yer secret for ya." She concluded gently, giving him a wry, but warm smile of reassurance. "Now we're even."

Ciel was slightly taken aback by how much she resembled Chêne in that moment. This was just the kind of response he would have expected from his faithful maid… Although, she probably wouldn't have fallen for such bad acting…

"But don'tcha ever sneak in here again or nothin', ya hear_!_?" Freckles added more sternly, frowning slightly, as she shook her finger at the boy to show how serious she was.

"Yes'm!" Ciel replied dutifully, just like a naughty schoolboy being scolded by a teacher. Even that part of her response had been like Chêne… Ciel coughed. "Um… may I ask you something? Why are you sharing a tent with me when you're part of the First String?" He asked cautiously, a little curious about why she would want to share when she could have her own private tent.

"Ahhh… " Freckles said, smiling a little sadly as she turned away from him slightly. Was she embarrassed? "I don't like bein' in a room by meself. And I sleep better when someone else's with, like." She glanced back at him a little shyly, reminding Ciel of a small child, in away. "Say, yer gonna keep sharin' with me even though I'm in the First String, right?" She asked tentatively, hoping this wouldn't put him off. He wouldn't be the first person to refuse to continue rooming with her after finding out who she really was.

"Yes, by all means." Ciel responded amiably, not wanting to disappoint her. Freckles grinned.

"Eh-heh-heh! I'm glad!" She said, laughing happily. She was relieved Smile still wanted to be her friend. "Then the stuff that went on 'ere stays between us, yeah?" She asked, holding out her hand to him.

"Yes." Ciel said, smiling brightly. His face was a little flushed as he extended his own hand. _'But that said, there's no guarantee that this person won't tell anyone.' _Ciel thought as they shook hands on it, and parted ways. _'Humans lie without compunction.' _

The young earl continued smiling innocently at his new friend as they waved goodbye to each other, only dropping it once she was gone, and he was safely out of her line of sight.

'_Of course, that applies to me as well.'_

=†=†=†=†=

{Back in Tent Nine…}

"Ciel's taking a long time getting back…" Chêne remarked, furrowing her brow slightly in concern. "I hope he didn't get caught." It had been nearly ten whole minutes since they had retreated to their tent to await further instructions.

"Fear not, Chêne. If that were the case, they would have undoubtedly raised the alarm or confronted us about it by now, since they see us as his guardians." Sebastian reassured her, smiling his trademark shit-eating grin. "I'm sure the young master will join us shortly."

_FLAP._

Speak of the devil… a small hand had just parted the flaps of their tent to reveal none other than Ciel Phantomhive himself, though the boy looked a little worse for wear than when they had last seen him. He was shivering and coughing a little, and his face was flushed too.

"Young Master." Sebastian greeted him calmly.

"Are you okay, Ciel?" Chêne asked, concerned. She hoped he was just red in the face because he had been running, and not because he had managed to catch a cold. She _really_ hoped it wasn't something nasty, like pneumonia. His breathing sounded a little labored…

"You cur…" Ciel muttered darkly, ignoring Chêne, as he stepped inside, glaring at his demonic butler. "You set the venomous snakes free even though you knew I was still there, didn't you?" he demanded, coughing.

Chêne's jaw dropped. She gaped at Ciel, stunned, when she realized the full gravity of what he had just said. Until now, it hadn't really hit her that Ciel's orders to release the snakes at that time could have put his life in _mortal danger!_! And with that startling realization, came another—_Why didn't Sebastian say anything about this earlier!_? Her making such a stupid mistake was one thing, but _he_ would never—_!_!

Sebastian's eyes were widened ever so slightly in surprise and wariness, and in place of his usual shit-eating grin was something like a half-frown.

_Busted._

He hadn't expected Ciel to call him out on his little prank so quickly, and he had been rather hoping to avoid receiving the appalled and accusing stare that Chêne was now aiming at him, silently demanding an explanation for his recklessness. But the demon butler soon recovered.

"Yes." Sebastian replied quite honestly with the ghost of a smirk.

Chêne's jaw dropped again. It seemed his lovely wife was speechless for once. How extraordinary.

"Young Master's order was to return in advance of the First String and set the snakes free." The demon reminded them. "Did I not but carry out your orders to the letter?" He asked Ciel pointedly. Just how many times did he have to keep warning the boy to be careful how he worded such orders?

"Even so…" Chêne said, finding her voice again. "If you knew this would happen, you should've said something before!" She scolded her sadistic husband, jabbing her finger hard into his arm. She doubted it felt like anything more than a slight tickle to the demon, but poking him made her feel better, and let him know she wasn't at all happy with him at the moment.

What if Ciel had been _bitten!_? As far as she could tell, they still didn't know how to make antivenins yet, and even if they did, she was pretty sure a bite from some of those snakes could kill in _seconds_—Ciel would have died before they could even inject the cure_!_!

"You really _haven't_ been bitten, right_!_?" She asked Ciel urgently, checking him for bites. He really didn't look too good—What if one had nipped him while he was running, and he didn't notice because it was just a graze, and he was too worried about not getting caught_!_?

"I haven't." Ciel responded curtly, still glaring at Sebastian. Did she really think he wouldn't have noticed something like that?

"Oh, but you're so warm…!" Chêne exclaimed worriedly, frowning, when she felt his temperature. She was relieved a snake hadn't gotten him, but it looked like her suspicions about that cold were right. He was a little on the feverish side after running around in the cold without a decent coat. She grabbed the shawl she often used inside the tent and put it over his shoulders. "I'll bet you haven't had a chance to eat yet, have you? I'll go see if I can rustle up some soup or something for you." Chêne told him, before grabbing her own coat and gloves.

She paused briefly as she lifted the flap to leave, glancing back at her husband.

"And, _you_." She rounded on Sebastian, frowning with disapproval. "You'd better behave yourself. You might think you're being clever, but it's not funny! Don't you _dare_ toy with Ciel's life like that again, because I'll never forgive you if he dies because of it, _capische_?" She stated gravely, narrowing her eyes, as she fixed him with a cool, steely gaze. In that instant, her majesty far surpassed that of any queen, and her air of power and authority were far greater than any king or military commander. Even the Reaper, who hadn't been fazed in the slightest by their little argument up until now, couldn't help but turn and give the petite girl his full attention. Her frosty mint eyes smoldered like embers encased in ice, unyielding, as they stared into the demon's crimson orbs.

'I see…' Will thought, his own sharp, green eyes were hidden in shadow as he bowed his head. He felt that he was, perhaps, starting to understand how this girl had earned her designation as a Code 42 now. Not only was there the matter of those eyes of hers, but to think she could stare down a _demon_ on this butler's level without even breaking a sweat… Had she the ambition to do so, this girl would have undoubtedly conquered the world and built an empire to rival that of Rome and Queen Victoria's Great Britain. Though she rarely threw her weight around, Chêne had all the makings and charisma to be a great leader—_A world leader._ If this girl wasn't careful how she used her 'gift', she might come to be seen as a threat, which could result in her 'blessing' becoming a dangerous 'curse'...

The reaper and demon watched as Chêne stepped out into the night and let the tent flap fall closed behind her, not bothering to wait for an answer. There was no need to.

Chêne meant business, and Sebastian knew it. He had only seen her like that once before in the past, but it was not a sight that was easily forgotten. He knew _exactly_ how much trouble he was in now.

The demon sighed internally. He should have known she would react this way, given how much she cared for the boy, but perhaps he had been counting on that extraordinarily forgiving nature of hers a little too much? She really wouldn't forgive him… but as much as she meant it now, there was no such thing a 'never' with a heart like Chêne's. It might take a few decades, perhaps even a century or two at the most, but she would eventually forgive him. After all, she was able to forgive the men who had kidnapped and brutally beat her after killing Jasper I. If Chêne was strong enough to let go of a grudge like that instead of letting it poison her, then she could handle anything.

Although, with a little more consideration on the subject, Sebastian also had to admit it probably hadn't been very wise to try her patience like that so soon after the little faux pas he committed with Beast the other day…

But still, the demon couldn't help but smile a little wryly as he remembered the cold and commanding expression that had been on his sweet little wife's face just a moment ago. He was proud of Chêne, and never once regretted making her his dear and beloved wife, even at times like this. It was probably just as well that she wasn't the overly ambitious type, however, as Sebastian would have loathed sharing her with so many others. This way, she belonged solely to him. It was bad enough with just Ciel around…

Speaking of which, Sebastian noticed that his young master was still glaring hatefully at him. There was murder in his eyes. The demon couldn't help the wry chuckle that escaped his lips upon seeing how serious his small master's expression was over such a small prank. It was absurd.

"Why ever are you bestowing me with such a baleful glare?" Sebastian teased slyly. "Please be at ease. I shall protect your life as long as our covenant holds—however…" the demon paused, smirking slightly, when the frustrated and infuriated boy clenched his fist. "… You were well aware that if you made a mistake in your plans, you could have suffered bodily harm to the point of death, no?"

… And following that same line of thought, Chêne, as well. After all, she would willingly follow Ciel into danger out of worry for the boy's safety. Even if the chances of her dying had been greatly reduced, it didn't mean there weren't still certain elements of risk. Cuts and scrapes were easy enough to mend with a drop of demonic blood here and there, but potent poisons and venom were still extremely problematic since many spread through the blood and attack the nervous system. Also, even if he could save her life, there was always a small possibility that there could be permanent damage…

"Every _**game **_must have its thrills, after all." The demon leered, smirking slightly, at his prey as his pupils constricted to slits, and he allowed his eyes to glow a little demonically. "As Young Master is insatiable when it comes to games, I assumed you felt the same way." As far as Sebastian was concerned, Ciel had asked for this the moment he created the opportunity for such a thing to occur. The demon butler just hoped this little fright his young master had received would remind him of his own mortality, and caution him against taking such careless risks with his and Chêne's lives in the future.

"Hah!" Ciel laughed humorlessly, his face partially cast in shadow. "Your idea of sport is in such bad taste, it fair makes me retch… _you devil!"_ He seriously wasn't in the mood for Sebastian's crap. He was so physically and emotionally exhausted from the events of the day that he couldn't even come up with a better insult.

"I am flattered." The demon butler replied smoothly, flashing him a brilliant shit-eating grin.

Ciel wondered if his demon butler would have still dared to speak to him like this if Chêne hadn't left. Whether she knew it or not, she seemed to have this sadistic demon wrapped around her little finger, and he had been pleased to see how effective her threat to never forgive Sebastian had been. As long as Chêne cared for him, Ciel knew the demon wouldn't dare try this again. Even if Sebastian ever came to desire an… _end_… to their contract, as long as Chêne remained on his side, the young earl knew he would be safe.

"Koff! Forget it." Ciel said, turning to cover his mouth, as he coughed and stepped around his butler. The moody earl had decided he was far too hungry, tired, and stressed to justify wasting any more time on such a pointless argument. He just wanted to get this whole thing over and done with so that they could return to the manor as soon as possible. Sebastian could fill Chêne in on whatever she missed later. "After we parted, I found a letter that had my name on it in that clown, Joker's tent. _Koff!_ From what I could gather, it also contained my peerage, the location of the manor, and even a brief personal history. The sender was—"

"_You, there."_ Suit abruptly and rather rudely addressed Ciel, who was startled to find the reaper had aimed his scythe at his feet.

_PISHI!_

"_Huh!_?" Ciel shouted and flinched in surprise and confusion as he just barely managed to move his foot off of a seemingly random line that had been drawn in the dirt floor before the scythe hit it. He had stepped on it quite accidentally while pacing the room.

"You're three centimeters inside my territory." Suit informed Ciel crisply, frowning in annoyance as he returned to his book now that the offending foot had been removed from his territory.

Sebastian hadn't really expected the reaper to actually bother with Ciel since he was only human, but it seemed everyone was in a fowl mood tonight.

"It is clear neither of you are able to observe the lines we have drawn." Suit continued as he pushed up his glasses. "I see the dog takes after its master."

_SNAP._

Ciel grit his teeth as a vein mark popped up on his forehead. Of all the_ nerve—_This reaper had _no idea_ how _lucky_ he was that Ciel was too tired to bother with the hassle of ordering Sebastian to _slaughter_ him tonight_!_!

"_Koff!_ Sebastian, let's take this outside." Ciel ordered, coughing, as he lifted the flap to exit the tent, not even bothering to wait for his butler to do it for him.

"Yes, sir." Sebastian replied dutifully, following the sick boy out of the tent.

=†=†=†=†=

"—So, the name of the sender is 'Tom, the piper's son'." Ciel concluded, finishing the explanation of his findings to Sebastian.

"'Tom, the piper's son'?" Sebastian asked, wondering if that was supposed to be some kind of code. He also couldn't help but wonder what was taking Chêne so long, because she still hadn't returned from her little excursion to the dining tent…

"It's a character from the nursery rhymes of Mother Goose. Though I can't say I know what it means… I was hoping Chêne might have an idea." Ciel explained, coughing. "And the seal wax had a device with a horse and the initial 'K' on it."

"Then it is the same as the hallmark I saw." Sebastian said thoughtfully. That meant it was also the same as the markings on the ring belonging to that man in the photographs. It was a signet ring after all. "A signet ting is usually engraved with a motif and initials representing the bearer or his family crest."

"Yes. Thus… 'Tom, the piper's son' is someone whose family coat of arms contains a horse. A crest with such a design would typically belong to those upon whom knighthood has been confirmed or military personnel." Ciel agreed, thinking out loud. "_Koff!_ I wouldn't go so far as to say that's the rule, but it's impossible to be a philanthropist without a certain social status." He continued, frowning slightly, as he tugged on his scarf a bit. His throat was feeling a little tight for some reason, and this cold, night air certainly wasn't helping his cough. "All heraldic devices are recorded at the College of Arms." Ciel gasped when his voice caught in his throat dry throat. "_**Koff! **_With all these clues in hand, I trust you can find the crest we seek, however great the number of records may be." He finished, wheezing slightly after a rather nasty cough that shook his whole body.

"?" Sebastian said, furrowing his brow slightly in concern. He didn't like the sound of that last cough and the wheezing… He couldn't remember having ever heard the boy make that kind of sound before. It was different from the usual sounds of a cold or mild panic attack… It wasn't normal.

"The missing children. The circus. Tom, the piper's son. And I." Ciel continued on through his mild wheezing, oblivious to his butler's concern. "What is it that connects these disparate piece—_**Koff!**__"_

"Young Master?" Sebastian said cautiously, wondering if he should stop the boy. The longer they stayed out here in the cold, the worse he seemed to get. Sebastian decided to broadcast a mental version of the twilight bark to Chêne, just in case.

"In any case, we'll go back to the townhouse once—_**Koff!**__"_ Ciel opened his mouth to take a breath, and gasped sharply when the freezing air hit the back of his throat, sending him into a violent fit of coughing. _**"Koff! Koff! Hack! Koff! Koff! Ghack! Hrk!" **_

"Young Master? Is something wrong?" Sebastian asked, taking a step closer, when Ciel suddenly grabbed his stomach and nearly doubled over.

"… _**UEH! URK! KOFF!" **_Ciel groaned as he slapped a hand over his mouth when his stomach heaved violently, a vain and useless attempt to try to stop the vomit spewing now from his mouth.

_SLOP! SPLASH!_

"_Young Master!_?" Sebastian shouted, alarmed. What was this_!_? He hadn't seen any human illness take a turn for the worse this quickly since the plague! _"Young Master! What is the—" _He started to demand anxiously, dropping to hid knees beside the wheezing and heaving child, but any attempt to answer on Ciel's part only set off another fit of violent coughs.

"_**KOFF! KOFF! UEH…! KOFF! HACK! HRKK! OEH…"**_

_No… What was wrong? He needed to know what was wrong! He couldn't fix it unless he knew what was wrong…!_!

"_Yo—"_

"—_Sebastian!" _Chêne shouted in alarm as she arrived on the scene, with Freckles hot on her trail. She had heard his telepathic SOS loud and clear, and hadn't wasted any time getting there. The moment she realized it meant Ciel was in danger, she had literally dropped everything and ran. "What happened? What were his symptoms leading up to this?" She demanded, doing her best to remain calm, as she slid in on her knees next to Sebastian so she started examining Ciel, ignoring the vomit.

"The symptoms all appeared to be no worse than a slight cold, but after we came out here to get away from the reaper, his condition began to deteriorate rapidly. His coughs began to occur more frequently and he started to wheeze. I tried asking him what was wrong, but he went into a violent coughing fit and started vomiting, just as you see him now." Sebastian quickly explained, immensely relieved to see her. Thanks to the teachings of professional nurse Pomona and having experienced a number of them herself, Chêne was an expert at diagnosing human illnesses.

"_Smile!? What is it!_?_" _Freckles shouted anxiously, alarmed by what she saw. She had been startled when Chêne suddenly took off like a shot without any explanation, but after seeing this, it was no small wonder why! The sibling bond between she and Smile must be _amazing_ if she could sense something was wrong from several yards away. _"Oi! 'Ang in there!"_ She shouted at her little friend, crouching down beside him.

Chêne grit her teeth in frustration as she checked Ciel's pulse, eyes, and listened to his heart and lungs, grimacing slightly when some of the vomit on his shirt got on her hair, but that wasn't important—she needed to diagnose Ciel quickly and correctly, because if she screwed this up and gave him an ineffective treatment…

Chêne shook her head. No, she didn't want to think about it—she wasn't going to waste precious time by letting herself panic.

And then came the clincher—Ciel's lips were starting to turn blue.

"_Shit._" She cursed. This was bad! Ciel wasn't going to last much longer at this rate, but at least she knew for sure what it was now. "Freckles, I need you to go get Doc! Tell him Smile's symptoms are as follows: severe wheezing when breathing both in and out, difficulty talking, coughing that won't stop, tightened neck and chest muscles, blue lips, pale, and sweaty. That'll give him some idea of what he needs to have prepared. Black and I will take him to your tent since it's closer than the infirmary, and we need to get him out of the cold as soon as possible." Chêne instructed her firmly, leaving no room for argument.

"A-Alright, I'll go get 'im." Freckles said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she got up ran for help without a fuss. She didn't want to leave Smile like that, but there was no arguing with the look in Chêne's eyes, and she knew it had to be done.

"What is it?" Sebastian asked, concerned, as he carefully lifted the weak, wheezing, and now barely conscious boy into his arms to carry him. "You hardly ever curse. Is it really that bad…?" Chêne bit her lip nervously and glanced up at her demon husband as they quickly but carefully made their way to Ciel's tent together.

"I don't know… I'm pretty sure Ciel is having an asthma attack, but… I don't know how they treat that here, in this era." She admitted hesitantly, afraid for her adopted brother's life. She clenched her fists. "But we'll think of something!" She stated determinedly. "I don't care if we have to blow our cover to do it. We're gonna save him. You hear me, Ciel? So don't even think about dying on us—not tonight!"


	104. That Butler, Parleying2

Author's note: Hey! I am _so sorry_ that I ended up neglecting this story for so long! (That was one long asthma attack, poor Ciel.) But it's back now, and the good news is I plan on at least pushing through the next two manga arcs before I let myself take anymore breaks—Yay! I'd like to give everyone who is still reading this story and has been waiting for the continuation a big THANK YOU and a basketful of cookies! I hope I don't disappoint you, so pleas, enjoy!

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Parleying 2<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"What is it?" Sebastian asked, concerned, as he carefully lifted the weak, wheezing, and now barely conscious boy into his arms to carry him. "You hardly ever curse. Is it really that bad…?" Chêne bit her lip nervously and glanced up at her demon husband as they quickly but carefully made their way to Ciel's tent together._

_"I don't know… I'm pretty sure Ciel is having an asthma attack, but… I don't know how they treat that here, in this era." She admitted hesitantly, afraid for her adopted brother's life. She clenched her fists. "But we'll think of something!" She stated determinedly. "I don't care if we have to blow our cover to do it. We're gonna save him. You hear me, Ciel? So don't even think about trying to die on us—not tonight!"_

* * *

><p>"He's got asthma." Doc informed them, glancing up from his notes, confirming Chêne's suspicions. Ciel was still unconscious, and his breaths were still a little wheezy, but the worst seemed to have passed. Doc had had them move him to the medical tent for his convenience, since that's where all of the medical equipment and medicine was kept.<p>

Chêne let out a heavy sigh as she collapsed onto a chair. Words could not begin to describe how relieved she was that the doctor had been able to calm Ciel's attack so effectively, despite the lack of modern inhalers and medications from her world. Even in the future, asthma attacks could be very dangerous. After all, it was how her paternal grandfather had died. She had been so afraid she might have to watch another person she cared about die like that, that now all the tension had gone, she was suddenly feeling exhausted. Ciel was going to give her grey hair if he kept this up!

"Asthma… you say?" Sebastian asked, glancing at Chêne. It seemed her suspicions had been correct, but... "In the three years we have been with him, this is our first time seeing him in this state."

"If he hadn't had an attack in three years, I'd think the asthma was just about cured, but—that being said, being exposed to sudden cold or stress… or catching a cold could trigger a recurrence." Doc explained patiently.

"He's caught a cold once or twice before, but he's never had an attack like this…" Chêne said thoughtfully, still trying to figure out how she could have missed that Ciel had such a serious condition. He might not look it, but the young earl was actually quite tough. "Shouldn't we have been able to see signs of his asthma before?" she asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion and concern. She knew that sometimes asthma might seem to develop out of nowhere in some people, and if Ciel's asthma had been dormant for so long, then he probably only had a more mild, intermittent form, but… for all of her background knowledge and experience with knowing someone who had this condition, she had never felt so helpless before.

"I would say the buildup of many factors must've caused this." Doc told her. "First off, I hear he bathed in the open air with our resident meatheads? Of course he'd catch a cold." He huffed, furrowing his brow slightly in disapproval.

"Yeah, well—ah! He's awake!" Chêne exclaimed excitedly when Ciel gasped softly and slowly opened his eyes again, immediately moving closer to his bedside in case he needed her. "Can you hear me? Are you alright?" She asked calmly but urgently. "Can I get you anything?"

"Wonderful! You've come back to us!" Doc said brightly, smiling as he watched his patient regain consciousness. Normally he would have told Chêne to keep her distance and give the boy space, but she seemed to know what she was doing, so he decided to let her be for now.

"… Water…" Ciel gasped a little pitifully, causing Chêne to flinch slightly at his raspy voice and Sebastian to perk up and step into action.

"Here you are." The demon butler said with a ghost of a smirk as he approached his bedridden master and offered him a small, glass kettle full of warm water, to soothe his throat, so he could take a sip from the spout without having to sit up or spill any on himself. Chêne smiled softly as she replaced the cold compress on Ciel's forehead with a fresh one, relieved.

"I'm so glad you're alright." She told her adopted younger brother with genuine affection, but then her expression hardened slightly, and she frowned in disapproval as she gave him a flick to the forehead. Ciel was too weak to do anything other than scrunch up his brow and frown back at her in annoyance and confusion. "You scared the life out of me! Don't you ever do that to me again, you hear_!_?" She scolded the young boy sternly, crossing her arms as she huffed in irritation. He should have mentioned this years ago, back when she had asked him background questions about his health to make sure they didn't accidentally serve him something he might be allergic to! Did Ciel have a death wish or something? Chêne glanced at husband. Actually, it most likely had to do with the fact that Ciel probably just hadn't wanted the demon to know he ever had such a weakness…

"Yes, that will do, Cat. I understand how you feel, but he's still recovering right now. Smile." Doc said, getting the feverish boy's attention by addressing him directly. "Didn't you have terrible asthma when you were little? It can be fatal, so you must be careful even if you think you've recovered from it." Doc told him, furrowing his brow while Chêne and Freckles watched him with equal amounts of concern in their eyes.

The manner in which the doctor spoke to him reminded Ciel so much of Madam Red, that for a moment reality was replaced by the familiar scene of his aunt, mother, and Lizzie sitting and standing in his room back at the manor instead of Doc, Chêne, and Freckles in that tent. How nostalgic... Ciel had to stop himself from calling out to them in his feverish state. Dazedly, Ciel realized the doctor was still talking.

"You stay in bed until your fever and cough are gone! Got it_!_?" Doc instructed the bedridden boy before turning to the rest of the tents occupants. "Now, as for you, out! Back to your tents!" He didn't need anyone superfluous crowding around and making a fuss about the patient and taking up space in the medical tent. It was supposed to be a place for the sick and injured.

"Isn't there anything I can do to help, Doc?" Chêne asked, flashing her irresistible sad puppy/kitten eyes at the doctor. She didn't want to leave him alone in a strange place in such a vulnerable and weakened state. "My mother was a nurse, so she taught me a little of what she knew."

"Well… Oh, all right, fine!" Doc agreed, caving in at the sight. Resistance was futile. "You can stay and look after him until he falls asleep, but then you need to get to bed yourself and give him some peace, got it?"

"Don't worry, Freckles." Chêne told the girl, giving her a reassuring smile when she noticed how hesitant she was to leave. "Smile's tougher than he looks. I'm sure he'll be up and about in no time." She added, winking.

Freckles smiled and nodded, feeling a littler better after hearing her say so, but she snuck one last look at Ciel before finally heading back to their tent.

"I'll see you later." Chêne told Sebastian, standing on her tippy-toes to give him a quick peck on the cheek, before seeing him off.

=†=†=†=†=

_"—What!_?" Joker shouted incredulously, shocked and appalled. He, Peter, and Jumbo had just sat down to play a game of cards in his tent when Snake came in to inform them about what his snakes had seen earlier that evening. "Black 'n' Smile 'n' Cat snuck in? What for?" And they had seemed like such a nice little family… Jeez, you couldn't trust anyone these days!

"Dunno… I couldn't tell you that much. —Says Wordsworth." Snake interpreted for them calmly as the snake on his shoulder hissed.

"Say, can ye really talk wiv 'em snakes?" Peter asked somewhat dubiously, sweat-dropping.

"How dare you doubt me, you dunce_!_! —Says Wordsworth." Snake replied, quoting the angry Wordsworth verbatim.

"Why didn't you tell me right off, hm?" Joker asked, sweat-dropping.

"…" Snake said, fidgeting.

"Haaah… Ohh, never ye mind." Joker said eventually, sighing. Snake was a shy lad of few words, who knew what was going on in that funny little head of his. "Ye've done well. Off with ye now."

"Good niiight. —Says Wordsworth." Snake told them as he turned to leave, and the snake waved its tail at them, as if to bid them farewell.

"… Maybe they've found us out…" Joker continued more seriously once he was gone, furrowing his brow. "Darn that Doll." She was a good kid, but sometimes she could be too naïve.

"Doll's too much of a nipper yet!" Peter exclaimed, irritated. "That's why I didn't wanna take 'er wiv us. How's about we deal wiv it quick and get rid of 'em tonight?"

"Please wait." Jumbo cut in calmly before they could get too carried away.

"You're right. If those two are connected to the Yard, killing them would cause us no end of grief." Joker agreed, resigning himself. He knew what he had to do. "This calls for… a discussion with **_Father_**_._" He stated gravely.

"…" Jumbo and Peter said, exchanging an uneasy glance.

"… Tch!"

=†=†=†=†=

{In the Medical Tent…}

_"Hack! Koff!"_ Ciel coughed wretchedly in his sleep, waking himself up. "Koff! …n." He groaned softly, and the cold compress on his forehead slipped as he opened his eyes. Why did his body feel so sluggish and heav…

Upon fully opening his eyes, Ciel found himself staring directly into Freckle's ridiculous sleeping face.

_SNOOOORE…_

_"!_?" Ciel gasped, turning blue with shock. "!_!_?" _What!_? _What was she doing!_? _Why was she in bed with him!_? "…" Ciel decided to roll over, put his back to her, and try to forget about the strange girl that was practically lying on top of him. It was too strange. _'No wonder I couldn't sleep well…'_ He thought, chagrined. He was too tired to deal with it properly and kick her out at the moment. Besides being incredibly awkward, Freckles was a lot heavier than she looked… Ciel blinked. Now he found himself staring at an even more familiar face. "…?" He said, sweat-dropping. Apparently, Chêne had somehow managed to fall asleep kneeling beside his bed while caring for him, because she was _still_ kneeling beside his bed and currently resting her head on it beside his pillow. Well, at least she wasn't practically smothering him in his sleep like his annoying roommate/stalker… "… Come, Sebastian." He whispered, knowing the demon would answer his call no matter what, thanks to the hidden contract in his eye.

_SWF._

"You called?" Sebastian asked calmly, appearing as swiftly and silently in the tent as if he had simply stepped out of the shadows. 'Oh, my…' He thought to himself, smiling wryly, when he saw the position Chêne had fallen asleep in. She did it again… She must have worn herself out worrying over the sick earl. She was going to catch a cold if she continued to sleep there, sitting on the cold ground with only that coat to keep her warm.

Ciel motioned for the demon to come closer to the bedside, so he did. But it was not so Sebastian could retrieve his petite wife. Ciel tapped the palm of one of his hands, indicating he wanted to try to communicate through touch so as not to wake his unwanted bedmate. Freckles appeared to be sound asleep, judging by the snoring, but he still didn't want to risk her overhearing them. Sebastian knelt down beside the sleeping Chêne and obediently held his hand out to the boy so he could begin spelling out words on the demon's gloved palm using his finger.

_Sebastian.  
>I command you.<br>Go to the heraldry office and identify the man with that signet ring.  
>London has the 'College of Arms' or 'Herald's College'.<br>Edinburg has the 'Court of the Lord Lyon'.  
>I don't want to wake this one up and raise a fuss. I will leave tomorrow morning once I've stripped Freckle Face off of my person.<br>So come get me._

Sebastian closed his hand and waited for Ciel to turn his palm up so he could reply.

_Yes… My Lord. _He responded dutifully, gracefully tracing the letters into Ciel's small and feverish hand, bowing slightly, before scooping Chêne up so he could deposit her on the empty bed beside his young master's, making certain to tuck her in snugly to ensure that she would be safe and warm for the rest of the night while he carried out his errands. He smiled affectionately at her when she shivered mewled like a protesting kitten when he first laid the cold sheets over her, but she soon relaxed as they grew warmer and snuggled her head against the pillow. "… Ah, yes." Sebastian whispered as he turned back around and leaned over to smooth Ciel's blankets and adjust his pillow for him, while he was at it. "I shall not tell Lady Elizabeth that you shared a bed with another woman, so please rest easily." The demon butler teased him softly with a broad shit-eating grin.

**_"!_****!"** Ciel gasped in alarm. He hadn't even thought of that! Wait a minute… An idiot hair popper out on his head. _"You knew from the very beginning…!_!_!_" Ciel whisper-yelled incredulously at the fiendish butler as he exited the tent, vein mark throbbing on his forehead. _How dare that demon laugh at his expense!_!

=†=†=†=†=

"Well then…" Sebastian thought aloud to himself once he was outside the medical tent. "First to London—Ha!" Sebastian gasped suddenly in alarm when a surprise attack came out of nowhere, and he had to instinctively dodge a certain gardening tool before it could skewer him.

_CLANG!_ TMP!

The sharp clippers slammed into the dirt as Sebastian quickly back-flipped out of harms way, sliding a couple more feet away from the attacking reaper as he landed.

"And where do you think you're going?" William T. Spears demanded sternly, readjusting his glasses. For some reason, the strict reaper was still wearing his striped pajamas despite having gone to the trouble of putting on shoes and gloves and combing his hair. He must have been in quite a hurry upon realizing Sebastian had already snuck out of their tent. "I have told you not to wander around without your owner."

"Unfortunately, my master is confined to his bed, so I am running an errand in his stead." Sebastian informed him, smirking.

"I will not allow any exceptions. Return to the tent at once." Will insisted stubbornly. "I cannot have you acting independently until my judgment is complete. _The most seemingly insignificant error can lead to lengthy overtime!"_ He shouted as he launched another swift attack.

_JAB!_

_"!_?" Will said, surprised when, instead of simply dodging as he had before, Sebastian instead chose to allow the sharp clippers to hit his right hand, so he could catch it and prevent it from getting past him.

"I beg your pardon. However, I too have my duties as a butler, and as a husband, to see to." Sebastian stated calmly as crimson blood flowed from his injured hand, dripping down the Death Scythe. His face was cast partially in shadow, and his brow was furrowed slightly with irritation. His crimson eyes glowed dangerously as he continued to speak. "I cannot allow you to disturb my wife's nor master's sleep." Sebastian was making a point. Had he dodged, it surely would have it the medical tent, which was just behind him, and he simply could not allow such a dangerous weapon anywhere near that tent while Chêne and Ciel were both resting so defensively inside of it. "And you do not really wish to make a scene here. What do you say… _we make a deal?"_

The reaper's brow twitched.

"If you let me free for just one hour, I shall vow never to devour a single soul in the district you supervise hereafter." The demon butler continued, his deep, velvety voice taking on a hypnotic quality, resonating in time with the steady drip, drip, drip of his dark red blood as it fell to the ground. "I am only asking for one hour. How about it?"

"I refuse!" Will rejected the tempting offer bluntly, determined not to fall for any of his tricks.

SLIP.

"You sway your prey with sweet words, all while dragging them into the darkness." The reaper stated coldly. The pruner's clippers slipped from Sebastian's hand as he finally retracted his scythe.

_SWING_.

"You devils are so good at it, that it's practically a cliché!" He huffed, disgruntled, as he gave the scythe a sharp swing to shake the blood off. "Good grief!"

"So, you refuse me in the end. Very well." Sebastian said, sighing, as he removed his ruined glove. There was a brief flash of fang as he licked the blood from his hand. _"I shall have to think of something else, then."_


	105. That Butler, Parleying3

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Parleying 3<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"You sway your prey with sweet words, all while dragging them into the darkness." The reaper stated coldly. The pruner's clippers slipped from Sebastian's hand as he finally retracted his scythe._

_SWING._

_"You devils are so good at it, that it's practically a cliché!" He huffed, disgruntled, as he gave the scythe a sharp swing to shake the blood off. "Good grief!"_

_"So, you refuse me in the end. Very well." Sebastian said, sighing, as he removed his ruined glove. There was a brief flash of fang as he licked the blood from his hand. "I shall have to think of something else, then."_

* * *

><p>{Inside the Medical Tent…}<p>

"—ne… _Chêne._" Sebastian whispered in his slumbering wife's ear, trying to wake her without disturbing the sleeping children in the bed just a few feet away. He sighed and shook his head when she showed no signs of stirring. She could be such a heavy sleeper… Well, there was still one thing he hadn't tried, a certain trick that never failed. It was time to use _that._ Sebastian took a breath and blew into Chêne's sensitive ear, startling her awake.

_"!_?" She gasped in alarm, nearly jumping out of her skin and falling out of the bed in the process. "Sebastian! What the he—" She began incredulously, but he cut her off by cover her mouth with his hand. She noticed he wasn't wearing one of his gloves and furrowed her brow slightly in confusion. Sebastian _never_ took his gloves off if he could help it.

"Forgive me. I had intended to let you sleep, but a certain… _complication_ has arisen." He whispered softly, giving her a somewhat apologetic smile, though he was still quite obviously amused by her over the top reaction to his chosen method for waking her. "I need you to go to the city's heraldry office in my stead. I shall explain in more detail elsewhere."

=†=†=†=†=

"So… what is it you want me to do again?" Chêne asked, covering her mouth as she yawned, while they walked back to their tent. Her brain wasn't completely awake yet, but if she was going to be running around the streets of London at night by herself, she knew she was going to need grab a few things first.

"I want you to sneak out of camp and break into the College of Arms and find out who that crest belongs to. If you can do that, then we shall be one step closer to finding this 'Tom, the Piper's Son'." Sebastian stated calmly as he lifted the tent flap and held it open for her.

"Oh. Is that all?" Chêne asked, smiling wryly as she sweat-dropped. "Why do _I_ have to break in? Can't we just wait until tomorrow, when it's _open_?" She asked reasonably, wondering why he needed her to do it when he usually preferred to handle such tasks by himself.

"Because the Young Master wishes to depart first thing tomorrow. Therefore, we must gather as much information as possible tonight, while we still can. He ordered me to look into the matter, but a certain reaper insists on making an obstacle of himself, and he is refusing to allow me to go anywhere without the Young Master." He explained patiently. "I could always force my way through, but that would undoubtedly result in our cover 'being blown', as you would say."

"… Okay, fine." Chêne agreed reluctantly, sighing in defeat. She was feeling a little cranky and didn't really fancy having to do a B&E in the middle of the night, when it was freezing cold, after being so rudely awakened from a nice dream about surfing in an ocean of chocolate, but it obviously had to be done. The sooner the got the sick Ciel safely and soundly back to his townhouse, where he could have a proper rest in a warm room with a fire, the better. "Just give me a few minutes to wake up. I don't want to end up tripping and falling on my face while climbing through the window because I was still half asleep…"

=†=†=†=†=

{The College of Arms  
>130 Queen Victoria Street, London}<p>

"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Chêne mumbled to herself under her breath as she carefully used the hooked orange peeler attachment on her Swiss Army knife to pick the padlock on the back door. 'I'm breaking into a library for coats of arms, without a lookout or a decent getaway driver… If I'm gonna break the law, I at least want to do it right... and kick a door in, 'cause that's always fun. If Lacey were here, she'd definitely kick in a door or two…' She thought, smiling wryly at the thought of her crazy friend, as she continued to tease the lock. Oh, well. At least the place wasn't heavily guarded.

_CLICK._

'Ah, finally!' She thought, grinning triumphantly, when the heavy padlock finally popped open. Works every time! You just have to be patient… and lucky. Chêne quickly pocketed the lock and silently slipped inside the building, careful not to let the door slam shut behind her, just in case there was a watch-guard around to hear it. Chêne blinked and waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark room, but there wasn't much to see. She appeared to be in some kind of storage room, a very dusty one. While carefully maneuvering through a few stacks of books someone had left piled about here and there on the floor, Chêne crossed over to the door on the other side of the room. She pressed her ear to the wood and waited and listened to see if she could hear any sounds that might indicate someone else might be moving around on the other side of the door. There was nothing. Cautiously, she opened the door just enough to poke her head out and check to make sure her ears weren't deceiving her. The coast was clear. She was in the main part of the building's first floor, now all she had to do was figure out where they kept the records for knights and military personnel, since Sebastian said that's what the horse on the signet ring meant, and the 'K' should be the initial of the family name… Chêne sweat-dropped as she glanced around the large room at all the books and records lining the walls. This… was going to take awhile…

=†=†=†=†=

{Roughly three hours later…}

"A-ha!" Chêne cheered victoriously when she finally found it. "Oops!" She said a bit more quietly, instinctively covering her mouth upon realizing her mistake. It's good thing there was no one around to hear her. Sebastian and Ciel would never let her hear the end of it if she had gotten herself caught because of it, but she couldn't help it. Breaking the rules wasn't as much fun without an accomplice to share the excitement, and she was starting to get sleepy again after sitting in a dark, quiet room, with only the tiny LED embedded in her trusty Swiss Army knife for a source of light, for so long… but that was over now. She had finally managed to find the exact match for the enlarged sketch of the infamous crest that her hubby had so thoughtfully drawn up for her before sending her on her way. Now she just had to write down the name. 'This looks like a job for Mr. Ballpoint Pen~!' Chêne thought happily as she clicked out the knife's handy pen attachment and quickly jotted down the name and title that was listed before putting the bound record back where she found it and making a quick exit. She was feeling quite pleased with herself as she replaced the padlock, when something happened that completely shattered her false sense of security and confidence that she was about to make a clean getaway…

"My, my_… Naughty, naughty_, Miss maid! Running an errand for the Earl, are we?" A familiar, scratchy voice remarked behind her. Chêne froze and slowly turned to face the unwanted witness to her crime.

"G-Good evening, Undertaker… Come here often?" She asked a little nervously, smiling wryly as she sweat-dropped.

"_Hee! Hee…_ I was on my way to pick up a new client… when I spotted _you_. You really should be more _careful_…" He replied, grinning madly, as he leaned forward, invading her personal space. Chêne sweat-dropped. Well, that certainly would explain why there was a hearse parked just a little further down the alley…

"Is that so…? I'll try to keep that in mind…" She said, cautiously inching away in an attempt to put a more comfortable distance between them. She flinched, surprised, when he suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist to keep her from moving any further away.

_"Wherever did you get that?"_ he asked gravely, frowning, as he pointed to the Devinette brooch that she had inherited from her grandmother on her birthday.

"I inherited it. It's a family heirloom... Why, is something wrong with that?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion. Why did he suddenly look so troubled?

"You _inherited_ it, you say…?" Undertaker asked dubiously, deepening his frown. How long had she had it? He couldn't remember having seen her wear it before, and he knew he would never forget seeing _that thing_ again. "… Come with me, Miss Maid," Undertaker said solemnly as he released his vice-like grip on Chêne's wrist and took her by the hand, leading her towards his hearse, "and I shall tell you a _fairy story_ from _long ago..."_


	106. That Butler, Scandalous

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Scandalous<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"Wherever did you get that?" he asked gravely, frowning, as he pointed to the Devinette brooch that she had inherited from her grandmother on her birthday._

_"I inherited it. It's a family heirloom... Why, is something wrong with that?" Chêne asked, furrowing her brow slightly in confusion. Why did he suddenly look so troubled?_

_"You inherited it, you say…?" Undertaker asked dubiously, deepening his frown. How long had she had it? He couldn't remember having seen her wear it before, and he knew he would never forget seeing that thing again. "… Come with me, Miss Maid," Undertaker said solemnly as he released his vice-like grip on Chêne's wrist and took her by the hand, leading her towards his hearse, "and I shall tell you a fairy story from long ago..."_

* * *

><p>"Once upon a time, there lived a very special family, who possessed a very special gift… <em>They could see the future in their dreams.<em>" Undertaker began as they rode together on his black hearse together in the cold. It felt surreal to Chêne, traveling through the twilight like that, surrounded by darkness and death during the blue hour while listening to a madman tell her a fairy tale. "This… _ability_… could be both a blessing and curse, but one particular generation learned how to use it solely to their advantage. They began using their insight to gain power, wealth, and favor with certain monarchs, and they came to be known as the Devinettes." Chêne froze when the full weight of his words hit her, and her eyes widened in shock as she turned to face him.

_No… It couldn't be…_

"Influencing one or two small events here and there to ease one's conscience is no great sin, as long as it is done responsibly, but there is a difference between what one _'can'_ and what one _'should'_ do." He continued. "The Devinettes ignored this crucial difference, and their folly had dire consequences on the world's natural order. People who should have died didn't, and people who shouldn't have died did. Together they began to selfishly unravel the tapestry of fate and reshape it to suit their own personal agenda. They tried to play God, and they failed miserably. The more they deviated from the original plan, the world fell into chaos. A schism between the reality of what was and what _should_ have been began to form, creating two parallel worlds… one where humans relied too much on magic, and one where they relied on it too little. Though this was done to preserve the timeline of both worlds without having to destroy one or the other and all who inhabited them, it created a terrible imbalance, especially when the ones responsible for the splitting of realities refused to stop the behavior that had caused it in the first place. The Devinettes of this world were given one last chance to behave themselves, but they refused… _So they had to be stopped._"

Chêne's eyes widened, and she felt herself shudder as a terrible chill shivered up her spine, as though someone had just walked over her grave.

_They were killed… every last one of them. She knew it now, what had happened to her family, or at least her ancestors, in this world…_

"And… did 'stopping' them… restore balance?" She asked a bit hesitantly, swallowing the nervous lump in her throat.

"… _That_ is a story for another day, Miss Maid." Undertaker said, glancing at her, as his usual grin began to snake its wake back onto his face again. "This is your stop, Miss Maid." He told her as he pulled back on the reins and the hearse rolled to a stop just in front of the circus's gates, waving her off. Chêne furrowed her brow slightly in confusion at their timely arrival and the sudden dismissal as she began to climb down from the seat.

"How do you know all of this?" She asked, pausing. How did he even known this is where she was headed?

"Hmm… I wonder…" He replied enigmatically, grinning at her like a demented Cheshire cat. "Remember to _choose wisely_, Miss Maid." He told her as he cracked the reins and started driving away. "And _d_o try not to get caught next time~!" He cackled as his black hearse took off down the lane, disappearing off into the night. Chêne stared after him for a moment longer, gently tracing her fingers over the family brooch, before heading back into the circus grounds.

=†=†=†=†=

"You certainly took your time." Sebastian remarked as she entered their tent. "I had half a mind to send out a search party." He teased, smirking, as he approached his pensive wife. Did she delight in making him worry about her. His smile faltered slightly when he noticed the melancholy expression in her normally bright and cheerful eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"Sebastian… Do you remember, when I first came here, how I tried to look up some of the ancestors on my mother's side who should have been living here, but couldn't find any record of them…?" She asked. "Well, I think I finally know why… It's because they're all dead… or rather, they were never born…"

"What do you mean? What are you talking about, Chêne?" her demon husband asked, furrowing his brow, wondering where this shot out of the blue had suddenly come from, but she just closed her eyes and shook her head as she leaned her head against his chest.

"I'll tell you later, but for now… just hold me?" She asked, wrapping her slender arms around him, seeking comfort from his embrace as a lone tear escaped and rolled down her cheek.

=†=†=†=†=

{Sunrise…}

The sun was just beginning to peek over the line of trees behind the campgrounds, but it was already promising to be another beautiful, crisp, and clear winter day. With the reaper, their third wheel, already gone off to help the rest of the rookies prepare breakfast, Sebastian and Chêne finally had a moment alone together, and he was savoring it. The demon butler found himself reluctant to wake his petite wife and separate from her, despite his orders. Chêne cried so rarely that he knew it must be something serious to have unnerved her so. So, he had listened patiently as he held her throughout what remained of the rest of the night, until she eventually exhausted herself and fell asleep in his arms.

Sebastian sighed regretfully, knowing that, despite his wish to let her rest properly, it was time to rouse her again so they could collect their young master and depart before they fell too far behind schedule.

"Chêne… _Chêne._ It's time to wake up." He called loudly, giving her a little shake.

"Nnn… What?" She asked sleepily as she reluctantly opened her eyes, which were still slightly raw from crying. "… Already?"

"I'm afraid so." He replied, smiling wryly as she rubbed her eyes and stretched, very much resembling a sleepy kitten.

"Mm… Thanks for letting me vent last night." She said, giving him a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry for crying on you, but it just mad me so sad, thinking of all the people who could have been but never were…"

"You do not have to apologize, Chêne. Never apologize for being yourself." He told her, smirking, as he held her chin. "It is what drew me to you, after all." Chêne blushed.

"I love you." She told him, smiling a little shyly.

"I know." He replied smoothly, pressing his lips to hers in a soft and gentle, almost reverent kiss.

=†=†=†=†=

"—Nn_!_!" Ciel said, twitching in surprise, when he awoke to the feeling of something cool being pressed against his forehead. He opened his eyes and realized Chêne was leaning over him, holding her hand against his feverish forehead to check his temperature. It didn't seem to be as bad as yesterday, and he wasn't sweating as heavily either. "Chê…ne?" He asked groggily, blinking. He was still half asleep and feeling a bit dazed from his cold.

"Good morning. It looks like your fever broke while you were sleeping last night." She informed him with a sunny smile. He noted Sebastian was standing just behind her, sporting a brilliant shit-eating grin of his own. "How are you feeling?"

"Koff! Not great, but better than yesterday. Koff!" Ciel replied as Chêne helped him sit up in bed.

"That's great, but try not to cough too much. We don't want your throat tightening up again." She said, smiling wryly, at him as Sebastian went to fetch some water for him.

"Did Freckle Face go to breakfast already…?" Ciel asked when he noticed the other half of the bed was empty again. "Koff!"

"I'm not sure… probably. She was already gone when we got here… and her name is Freckles, Ciel, just Freckles." Chêne replied, sweat-dropping. Poor Freckles.

"Please have some water." Sebastian told Ciel, offering him the cup of water he had just returned with.

"Aah… Nn? What happened to your gloves?" Ciel asked as he accepted the water. "Why are you only wearing one of them?" His inhumanly black nails were showing…

"Ohh." Sebastian said, glancing briefly at his exposed hand before gracing his master with another brilliant shit-eating grin. "I'm afraid it got a little _dirty_." He couldn't just walk around wearing a blood-stained glove, now could he?

"?" Ciel said, frowning at his butler's vague answer. Well, whatever. At least the hand with the seals for his covenant and his tie with Chêne was still covered, that was the important thing. "Well, that aside," He continued, pausing to take a sip of water, "Koff! I do hope you took care of the errand I left you?" he asked pointedly.

"Yep. All taken care off." Chêne replied brightly. No need to mention how she almost got caught.

"Come." Sebastian said, scooping the young earl out of bed. "There is no need to linger here further. Let us make our exit while everyone is breaking their fast. We can talk at leisure once we have returned to the townhouse."

"Good idea." Chêne said, wrapping Ciel's scarf around his neck, making sure he was properly bundled up against the cold. "I get the feeling we'd really be pushing our luck by staying here any longer." She added as they exited the medical tent together.

They were slightly taken aback to see a certain reaper waiting for them just outside. William T. Spears was once again wearing his black business suit, and he had that special record book of his tucked under his arm. Whatever event was going to take place, it must be happening soon. Chêne was tempted to ask him about it, but then the Undertaker's warning about interfering crossed her mind. Perhaps it would be best if she didn't…

"We have finished with our business, so we will take our leave." Sebastian informed the reaper coolly as he marched straight past him, patting Ciel on the back when he coughed.

Chêne gave the reaper a quick nod goodbye before hurrying to catch up with her husband.

Will nodded back at the Code 42, but he narrowed his eyes at the retreating demon as he carried his small master away.

"As long as you are with your owner, I don't give a toss where you go." He said, just loud enough for the demon he was addressing to hear. Sebastian decided not to dignify that with a response. "Now I can relax and get down to my own business." Will thought aloud to himself as he watched the odd trio depart before opening his binder of soul collection lists.


	107. That Butler, Scandalous2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Scandalous 2<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"We have finished with our business, so we will take our leave." Sebastian informed the reaper coolly as he marched straight past him, patting Ciel on the back when he coughed. _

_Chêne gave the reaper a quick nod goodbye before hurrying to catch up with her husband. _

_Will nodded back at the Code 42, but he narrowed his eyes at the retreating demon as he carried his small master away._

_"As long as you are with your owner, I care don't give a toss where you go." He said, just loud enough for the demon he was addressing to hear. Sebastian decided not to dignify that response. "Now I can relax and get down to my own business." Will thought out loud to himself as he watched the odd trio depart and before opening his binder of soul collection lists_.

* * *

><p>{The Phantomhive Townhouse}<p>

_"Ciel!_!_ You went off for two whole days without a word to me!_! _Just a little longer, and I would've asked the police to send out a search party!_!" Soma shouted sternly, scolding them the moment they returned for worrying him, while Agni calmly greeted them with a pleasant smile behind his back, glad to see they had returned safely.

'I could've sworn I left a note telling them not to worry…' Chêne thought, sweat-dropping. It was nice to know they cared, though.

"It's none of your business." Ciel told the anxious prince shortly, slightly chagrined. That would have been extremely problematic if they had raised such a fuss. "_Koff! Koff! _Koff!"

"Oh, dear. I'd better get you some tea." Chêne said, immediately heading for the kitchen. Her family had an old herbal tea recipe that was good for colds and sore throats.

"Ugh…" Ciel couldn't help but grimace slightly when he realized what she was up to. That remedy of hers had worked wonders the last time he was ill, but the taste… he shuddered at the memory.

"What's wrong with you?" Soma asked, concerned when he noticed his friend's poor condition. "You look pale."

"Koff! It's nothing. Leave me alone." Ciel said calmly, trying not to cough too much in front of them. The last thing he needed was for these two to start sticking their nose into things.

"It's not nothing! You've definitely got a cold!" Soma retorted, knowing a sick person when he saw one. "Don't you have a fever—"

"No! My temperature's fine!" Ciel insisted stubbornly as Sebastian began carrying him up the stairs to his room. Why did this stupid prince have to be so sharp _now_ of all times_!_?

"You're lying_!_!" Soma shouted, outraged that Ciel would try to hide something so important. You should never underestimate a cold!

"No, I'm not. Koff!" Ciel calmly denied the accusation as they reached his room.

_"Ciel!_!" Soma shouted after him, but the door slammed shut behind them before he could follow them inside.

"What's wrong?" Chêne asked upon seeing a worried Agni. She had decided to poke her head out of the kitchen for a moment after she thought she heard a door slam.

"Oh, um—" Agni said, fidgeting nervously as he turned to tell her the distressing events that had just transpired, but his prince beat him to it."

"—It's Ciel!" Soma huffed, pouting moodily at the top of the stairs. "He won't admit he's sick—which he _definitely_ is! I'm worried he'll try to push himself too much."

"… In that case…" Chêne said thoughtfully, considering what they had just told her. "I'm still working on a special medicinal, but in the meantime… Feel free to do whatever's necessary in order to stop him." She told them, smiling brightly. Special mission from the queen or not, she was _not_ letting Ciel go back out in the cold again so soon after his asthma attack, not while he had a cold on top of it and was still coughing like that!

Soma grinned, glad to have found another ally. He knew just what to do…

=†=†=†=†=

"Haaah…" Ciel sighed in relief when Sebastian laid him down on his wonderfully large and luxuriously soft bed. Oh, how he had missed it…

"Young Master does lie quite a lot and keep many secrets, indeed." Sebastian remarked as he picked up the water pitcher and basin normally used for washing one's face in the morning. "Even I was not aware that the Young Master has had a chronic illness from childhood. Why did you not tell me?" He asked as he poured hot water from the previously empty pitcher into the clean wash basin.

"You never asked." Ciel replied simply. Frankly, he didn't think it would matter. "Besides, I'm already over it."

"Is that so?" Sebastian asked, smiling slightly at the boy's stubbornness, as he dipped a clean washcloth into the basin and proceeded to wring out the excess water. That's not what Chêne had said. According to her, asthma was particularly dangerous because you never knew precisely when it would return and rear its ugly head again. "But better to be safe than sorry. I shall read some medical texts on the subject of asthma."

"Is that part of your aesthetic as well?" Ciel asked cynically, wondering why a demon would bother to prolong the life of his prey without being specifically ordered to.

"A butler must be able to deal with any situation that may arise." Sebastian replied matter-of-factly as he took Ciel by the wrist and pulled him into a sitting position so he could remove the boy's shirt and give him a 'cat bath' with the warm and damp washcloth.

"Hmph." Ciel huffed. That again, huh? "Anyway, hurry up and tell me what you found out about at the College of Arms…"

"College of Arms… Ah, the identity of the person to whom that device belongs, yes…?" Sebastian asked a bit absently while he focused on cleaning the young earl's hand. There was a terrible amount of dirt stuck underneath his usually spotless little fingernails. "His name is Baron Kelvin." He replied.

"Kelvin?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow as his eyes shown with a glimmer of recognition. The name sounded familiar…

"Do you know him?" Sebastian asked.

"I don't care much for philanthropists and such, so he is not a personal acquaintance, but…" Ciel replied thoughtfully as Sebastian set aside the washcloth and began helping him dress. "… I think we exchanged greetings at a party that the _previous Earl_ took me to… Well, that will do. Knowing his name is more than enough." He said decisively as his demon butler finished tying his tie for him, and he put on his family ring once again.

_FLAP._

"We're going out." Ciel stated seriously, pulling on his cloak. If he was lucky, they just might make it out before Chêne finished that witch's brew she was making in the kitchen…

"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian replied dutifully, smirking knowingly, as he bowed and opened the door… only to find a grim and determined Agni holding his arms out, clearly set on blocking their way for some reason.

"… _Eh?"_ The earl and demon butler said, momentarily stunned and confused. All of the dramatic tension from the previous scene had been totally destroyed. Ciel's eyebrow twitched in annoyance when a familiar laugh sounded from behind the obstructive khansama.

"Fu-fu-fu-fu-fu! Not so fast, Ciel! You won't be able to leave this townhouse that easily while I'm in charge of protecting it_!_!" Soma declared confidently as he popped out from behind Agni, determined to care for his friend, even if he had to do it against his will. "You have a cold. And, as viceroy of this townhouse and your best friend, I cannot overlook it!"

"Who's my best friend again? Don't joke with me." Ciel said coldly, brushing him off and sidestepping him, undaunted. He had more important matters to attend to.

_"Ah!"_ Soma gasped, flinching in surprise. "_Agni!_! _Do not let Ciel pass, no matter what!_!"

_"≤Jo Aagyaa.≥"_ Agni replied dutifully, unwrapping his right hand. His aura was intense. The prince's faithful Khansama couldn't be more serious.

_"Now see here, you two…!"_ Ciel muttered darkly, furrowing his brow with irritation as a vein throbbed on his temple. "I have work to do! I haven't the time to take part in your silly games! _Koff!_ Out of my way!" He yelled.

"Staying in bed and being nursed back to health is the only work a sick person needs to see to_!_!" Soma yelled back.

"I'm not like you! This is noth—!" Ciel started to shout when he suddenly felt sick and had to cover his mouth. **_"Koff! Ghrk!"_**

"Lord Ciel." Agni cried anxiously, rushing forth to check on him. "Lord Ciel, please return to bed. That wheezing sound is characteristic of asthma. You are not well at all!" He urged the boy, grasping his shoulders.

"Don't you dare touch me so casually_!_!" Ciel snapped, slapping his hand away. "Sebastian! Get them away from me! _Koff! Koff!"_

"Very good, Sir." Sebastian, who had been quietly observing the whole scene replied calmly. An order was an order, after all.

"Ah-wah-wah!" Soma exclaimed paling slightly and sweating nervously, as he took a step back, trying to get out of demonic butler's way. Agni clenched his fist.

**_"And you, Mister Sebastian!_****! ****_How can you call yourself Lord Ciel's butler!_****?"** Agni roared with righteous fury, startling the two boys next to him.

"—Eh?" Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow, not quite seeing what the other butler's problem was. Why was he glaring at him so?

"Let me say this as a fellow ≤khansama≥… no… _as your friend_." Agni continued a little more calmly, though his glare remained just as intense. "Your first priority must be your master's health! In this case, should you not consider Lord Ciel's health and stop him forcibly, even if that should mean disobeying him? To always have your master be cheerful and healthy. For that, you must wager your life. _Is that not… the very essence of being a butler!_?" Agni lectured Sebastian passionately. The demon's eyes widened.

"… I believe my duty is to fulfill my master's wishes, but…" He said thoughtfully, tilting his head slightly as he held his chin. "… Certainly… there is an element of truth to what you say as well." It certainly sounded like something his wife would say…

"Good. Then we're all agreed." Chêne said as she stepped into to the room, as though summoned by his thoughts, carrying a tray of medicinal tea and a biscuit to help cancel out the flavor. "You're not going anywhere, Mister." She told Ciel firmly.

_"Why you…! __**Why are both of you agreeing with him!**_**?**" Ciel demanded incredulously. He could see Chêne going along with something foolish like this, but Sebastian, too_!_? **_"What about my orders!_****?"**

_"Denied."_ Chêne barked boldly. "Ciel Phantomhive, get your asthmatic butt back in bed, right now!" She commanded sternly. "We're pulling rank."

_"Wha—!_?" Ciel shouted, staring at her in disbelief. "Servants can't pull rank on an earl_!_!" He argued foolishly.

"Then we're pulling rank as adults dealing with a difficult child! Now sit down, shut up, and take your medicine. Or do I have to fetch a funnel and force feed it to you…?" She asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously. If Ciel was going to insist on being so stubborn, then it was time for some tough love…

Ciel gulped. She wasn't joking… she'd do it, too.

"And… based on that, the patient must go to bed." Soma said, yanking Ciel along before he could get himself into more trouble.

_"Wha…!_?" Ciel said incredulously.

"I shall see to your care personally! Thank your lucky stars now_!_!" Soma reassured him brightly. "Agni! Make some rice porridge and have a medicinal bath ready!" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" Agni replied dutifully, much happier now that young Ciel was being properly cared for.

_"How dare you do as you please…!"_ Ciel muttered darkly, chagrined. Were they just going to ignore him_!_?

"Ciel's ≤khansama≥ and Miss Chêne, get his nightgown out! And an ice pillow!" Soma ordered next, getting even bolder now that he had everyone's cooperation.

"Yes." Sebastian responded.

"On it!" Chêne replied cheerfully.

**_"Hey!"_** Ciel shouted, vein throbbing on his forehead.

=†=†=†=†=

{One futile struggle between a twelve-year-old earl, seventeen-year-old prince, and three adults later…}

_POOOUUUUT._

Ciel furrowed his brow in annoyance, frowning at his four unwanted nurses, waiting for the thermometer to finish taking his temperature. They had won the fight, of course, there being only one of him. So now here he was, stuck in bed with a stupid thermometer in his mouth, surrounded by a bunch of grinning idiots, who looked awfully pleased with themselves.

Sebastian and Chêne were smiling wryly at him while they waited for the thermometer to finish warming up, clearly finding his sullen expression amusing for reasons that were beyond him.

"Whew~! There we go! What a relief!" Soma said as he sighed and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

"Yes~!" Ani said, smiling so brightly that there were little flowers blooming around him, as he picked the tray of used dishes up to take them away.

"I said I was busy…" Ciel grumbled, coughing, as Chêne tucked him into bed.

"Not too busy to rest and take care of yourself." She told him, smiling brightly.

"We have already made _many_ discoveries in our case, so doing as they say and taking a rest for the day should be fine, no?" Sebastian said, smirking slightly as he backed her up and gently placed his hand on their young master's hot forehead. "Oh dear… your fever has gotten to be this bad… We shall see to it all on the morrow." He said as Ciel closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, back at the Noah's Ark Circus…}

_WHAP!_

Freckles winced and grunted in pain as she fell back from the force of the harsh slap Peter had just given her.

"I told ye not to trust them strangers too much." He scolded her sternly, glaring at her angrily.

"B—But!" Freckles protested innocently, holding a hand to her poor sore face. "That Smile's still a kid like… and 'e said 'e had nowhere else to go. And we promised each other." She said earnestly.

_"That right there is why yer a brat!"_ Peter yelled furiously, raising his hand to strike her again, but before he could, a large hand reached out and grabbed him by the wrist to stop him.

"Brother Peter." Jumbo said calmly.

"Jumbo_!_!" Peter exclaimed, taken aback.

"This is not what we should be doing right now." He stated reasonably. "Smile, Black, and Cat, who snuck into our tents… as well as Suit, who was as capable as those three, have all disappeared. It is dangerous to stay here for too long."

"Then as soon as the ol' chap gets back…" Dagger said, referring to Joker.

"He should be at Father's place now. Even if he hurries, it will take three days at least." Beast reminded him.

"That'll be too late. We'd be better off movin' out quick!" Wendy said.

"Father said that this target was special. We must do something about it while we are here." Jumbo said. "Any failure on our part will incur his wrath."

"Jumbo's got it right. The kid don't live nearby in town, so we gotta get to 'im while he's in London." Peter agreed. "But if we leave now, it'll be dawn by the time we make it back. Nothin' for it, I guess. We'll make a go of it tomorrow." He decided. "First thing, we gotta report this to Joker…"

"I'll go." Beast volunteered readily.

"If ye go off, we'll be short on muscle in case of an emergency." Wendy pointed out, furrowing her brow slightly in disapproval. "Doll, you go instead."

"All right." Doll replied quietly, feeling disheartened and useless after the scolding she had just received.

"… I'll get a horse and saddled for you, so c'mon." Beast told her, a little disappointed she couldn't go herself. But she knew big sis Wendy was right.

"Sorry, Sis." Freckles apologized as Beast helped her climb into the saddle. "It's all my fault."

"It's too late for that now. Just take care of yourself and get to Joker quick." Beast told her, giving the horse a little a slap on its hindquarters to get it started. There was no time to lose.

=†=†=†=†=

{On the rooftop of the Kelvin Mansion}

"Now then." Will said as he flipped through his binder of soul collection lists. "First of all, I came here to clean up after my coworker, who botched his job. Furthermore, for a member of management, like myself, this kind of work falls outside of my purview. On top of that, cruelly forcing a public servant into harsh night duty for more than a month is just… Ugh, for crying out loud." He muttered, snapping the binder shut and tucking it under his arm so he could adjust his glasses. "However… _It all comes to an end tomorrow."_


	108. That Butler, Nurturing

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Nurturing<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"Now then." Will said as he flipped through his binder of soul collection lists. "First of all, I came here to clean up after my coworker, who botched his job. Furthermore, for a member of management, like myself, this kind of work falls outside of my purview. On top of that, cruelly forcing a public servant into harsh night duty for more than a month is just… Ugh, for crying out loud." He muttered, snapping the binder shut and tucking it under his arm so he could adjust his glasses. "However… It all comes to an end tomorrow."_

* * *

><p><em>"Tom, he was a piper's son,"<em> Joker sang as he dressed himself for the day in Baron Kelvin's, _Father's_, mansion. But there was no joy in his voice. _"He learnt to play when he was young, And all the tune that he could play, Was over the hills and far away… Over the hills and a great way off, the wind shall blow my top-knot off_." He stopped singing as he glanced at the photo sitting out on the night table. It was a much more recent picture of himself and Father, but the glare from the sunlight streaming in through the window was hitting it in such a way that the older man's face was blocked by the shiny reflection of light. "Over the hills and far away… eh?" Joker said, furrowing his brow.

=Flashback=

{Not long ago, during the dark, early hours between the end of night and beginning of morning…}

_BANG._

The great double doors of the main hall burst open when Joker gave them a great shove. The main part of the mansion was still just as dark and gloomy as ever.

"Father." Joker called out, letting the doors slam shut behind him, as he stepped into the hall and made his way towards the stairs. "I've just now returned. Father, may I come in?" He asked, knocking on the door. He received no reply, but entered regardless. "I apologize for my late arrival." Joker said politely, excusing himself, as he joined Father in his room. "The thing is, I've had word that…"

"Ooh! Ooh… Welcome back, Joker. What a good lad you are, returning so early." Father greeted him from the other side of the room. Even though very few of the candles in this particular room had been lit, there was enough moonlight streaming in through the windows for Joker to make out that the older man was lounging on the settee with two beautiful children who had dull, half-dead eyes, still in his dressing gown. "Well? What about _him_?" Father prompted. "_He_ is with you too, isn't he?"

"Nay, we've yet to…" Joker replied a bit hesitantly.

"Oh." Father said, clearly disappointed. "That makes you a bad boy." He told Joker, causing a bead of cold, nervous sweat rolled down the side of the younger man's face. Father was _not_ a man you wanted to disappoint.

"Forgive me," Joker said, kneeling humbly before him, "but about that matter… we fear the Yard might have its eyes on us."

"Let's hear the whole story." Father said, signaling for the little girl on his lap to feed him his tea, while the young boy next to him filed his nails.

"It seems the newcomers who joined the troupe a few days ago snuck into our tents. It is possible they saw your letter, Father." Joker informed him. "If they are with the Yard, we cannot do away with them heedlessly. Doing so would amount to admitting our guilt outright. That trio did strike me as odd from the start… that page…"

SHATTER!

"A page, you say?" Father asked trembling, so startled that he accidently knocked his teacup to the floor, breaking it.

"Father?" Joker asked, confused by this sudden change in the man's behavior.

"Was it a child?" Father asked, shaking, as he struggled to stand, placing one of his hands on top of the little boy's head to brace himself. "A child and his butler_!_!"

"Now that you mention it… one of the other ones was a former butler…" Joker said, furrowing his brow as his eyes widened slightly. "… and the girl with them was a former maid…"

"A small maid with green eyes_!_? I'm sure of it! Yes! It's them!" Father exclaimed excitedly, shooting to his feet. _"We've done it_—_!_! _It is he! Earl Ciel Phantomhive!_!" He declared, illuminated by the pale moonlight, as his face twisted into a mad grin of ecstasy beneath the many bandages covering his old and tired face. His exposed eye widened as he shivered with delight at the very thought.

"Smile, did you say_!_?" Joker asked, alarmed. "He did not strike me as such, but…"

"I have been dreaming of him ever since _that day_." Father continued on, not hearing him. "He'll be along soon. We must show him the greatest hospitality! Joker! Hurry and prepare a most sumptuous feast!"

"Please wait_!_!" Joker said anxiously. He knew all too well what it would mean for his friends if the Queen's Watchdog was after them. "If that is, Noah's Ark—the others, are in serious danger. I must send word right away… And—"

"Joker. _You dare talk back to me?"_ Father demanded sternly with a crazed look in his eye that chilled Joker's blood to the bone. "From the moment you lot were born, you were forsaken by everything, yet I took you in and raised you… and gave you working arms and legs. Despite that, you still dare to talk back to your father?"

"That was not—" Joker hastily tried to apologize, terrified that he may have accidentally pushed Father too far this time.

"No, of course not. You grew up to be a very good lad." Father stated as he sat himself back down, returning to the shadows. "You want the siblings you left behind at the workhouse to grow into fine _adults_ as well, don't you?" He asked cruelly. "My good little Joker… will listen to his father, won't he?"

"—Yes. I will, Father…" Joker replied despondently, knowing he really had no choice in the matter.

"Having such a devoted son makes me happy indeed!" Father said considerably more lightly upon receiving a more favorable reply. "Come here. It has been a while, so let's you and I take a photograph together. A photograph of the devoted son and his happy father." He said, taking Joker by the hand as he signaled for the two children to get the camera ready. "Give us a smile now!" He told the reluctant Joker, pulling him close to pose for their picture together.

=End Flashback=

"—I…" Joker said sadly, staring down at the developed photograph.

=†=†=†=†=

{Meanwhile, at Noah's Ark Circus…}

"Ye still haven't finished packin' up yet?" Wendy asked when she entered Beast's tent to find her kneeling in front of an open trunk, staring at the old photograph of everyone from back when they were still children in the workhouse.

"Ah… sorry." Beast said, putting it away. She knew she shouldn't be spacing out at time like this, but... "… Sister Wendy. Shouldn't we wait for Joker after all?" She asked, turning around to face the petite trapeze artist. "I don't like this. I'm worried about him…" He told her they could no longer turn back after everything they'd done, but she couldn't stand seeing his pained expression anymore, and now the Yard was after them…

"All'd be lost if we tarried 'ere only to be snatched by the coppers. Joker'll be fine. 'E can handle 'imself." Wendy said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don'tcha fret. You'll get to see 'im tomorrow."

—^—^—^—

"Are you going out again? —Says Emily." Snake asked Dagger curiously, wondering why he, Jumbo, and Peter had called him out.

"Sis 'n' I've got our private affairs, like. Y'know, like a date wiv Sis 'n'… a date wiv Sis 'n'—" Dagger replied dreamily, floating off into his own little fantasy world. They could practically see hearts flying around the blushing knife thrower.

"We are simply going to inspect the next town we will be calling at." Jumbo deadpanned, letting out a sigh at his friend's ridiculous behavior.

"C'mon! A bloke can dream!" Dagger retorted, rounding on him for shattering his delusions of romance.

"Which means we're outta tonight's show, but…" Peter said, taking over. "… I'll do for you if'n you make a mess of things!"

"That concerns me, but I shall do my best. —Says Emily." Snake replied, feeling somewhat reluctant to take on such a huge responsibility all of a sudden.

"Well… We'll be right back 'ere tomorrow mornin'!" Dagger reassured him, noticing his unease.

"…" Snake said as he exchanged a glance with Emily, who was perched on his shoulder. "It'll be lonely without you, so please come back quick, 'kay~? I'll be waiting for you with the bed all nice and warm~! —Says Emily." He told Dagger for her.

"Oh! There you go, Dagger! Looks like yer turn to be a hit wiv the lasses is here!" Peter teased, grinning impishly.

_"Bein' a catch to snakes don't make me one bit 'appy!" _Dagger cried, chagrined to discover he had such an odd and unwanted admirer. _ "And a cold blooded beast can't warm a bed!_!_!"_

=†=†=†=†=

{The Phantomhive Townhouse}

"His fever seems to have gone down." Sebastian noted quietly as he checked on Ciel, not wanting to wake his young master, or Chêne and Soma, who had fallen asleep after having exhausted themselves fussing over the younger boy. Poor Chêne just couldn't seem to stay awake. Well, she had only managed to get a total of three hours of sleep before, so it was somewhat understandable that she might still need more…

"His breathing has returned to normal, and his color looks much better than it did yesterday." Chêne added, also whispering. Great-grandma Hazel's tea, works like charm every time.

"We, too, can now breathe easy." Agni whispered. The three of them smiled, satisfied with the results of their hard work.

"I have heard it said that the best medicine for human recovery is sleep…" Sebastian whispered, glancing at Chêne, who raised and eyebrow at him, knowing very well that she was his source for this helpful piece of information. "… So let us not wake them."

Sebastian helped Agni position Soma so that the Khansama could carrying the prince back to his room on his back, taking special care not to wake the slumbering prince, before leading them out of the room. Chêne made sure to carefully shut the door behind them as quietly as possible.

"Erm… Mister Sebastian." Agni said a bit nervously once they were out in the hall. "I apologize for flying into a rage and raising my voice yesterday. I could not restrain myself." He apologized a rather bashfully. He regretted yelling at his friend, even if it had been for a good cause.

"No. Your words were of great interest to me and provided me with much food for thought." Sebastian assured him. Personally, he did not think Agni had anything to apologize for.

Chêne just smiled, glad everyone was getting along. Personally, she was grateful to Agni for setting Sebastian straight for her, from one skilled butler to another. She was glad Sebastian had managed to make a friend who could be such a good influence on him.

"Oh no, I did not say anything so great as all that! Mister Sebastian is a far more perfect ≤khansama≥ than one such as I!" Agni replied humbly, smiling brightly after receiving such praise.

"But you're not nice enough."

"Eh?" Sebastian, Chêne, and Agni all said in unison, taken aback. What was that an extra voice they heard tacked on at the end?

"My prince, were you awak—" Agni asked, flinching in surprise, as tried to glance over his shoulder at the boy on his back.

**_"I'm asleep!_****!"** Soma insisted nervously, flinching guiltily, as he clung tighter to Agni and kept his face buried, refusing to give up the act. "The one speaking now is Agni_!_!" He continued in a deeper voice, trying to imitate his faithful ≤khansama≥. "Now move your move_!_!" He whispered urgently in Agni's ear.

_"Eeh!_?" Agni exclaimed, bewildered by his prince's odd behavior, not understanding his reason for hiding.

"…" Chêne said, exchanging a glance with her husband, knowing full well why the prince was afraid to show his face. It was perfectly understandable, given what had happened the last time he spoke rudely to the demon butler... It would appear there was still some psychological scarring left there…

Agni was confused, but he did as Soma requested of him anyway.

"Compared to me, you are not nice to your master at all." Soma lip-synched.

"Not nice… you say?" Sebastian asked somewhat dubiously, raising an eyebrow. Chêne tilted her head slightly as she held her chin.

'Hmm… this prince is sharper than I gave him credit for…' She thought. Not many people actually picked up the subtle tension existing between the demon and his young master. They even seemed to enjoy antagonizing each other at times, as evidenced during the curry contest.

"Yes." Soma continued. "Ciel's still a child! He's of an age where he ought to be allowed to idle in bed all day if he has a cold and have his parents spoil him. But he doesn't have his parents to do that for him. Well, I didn't exactly have my parents around either, but…" He said a little sadly. "… Instead, I had a grandpa and Mina, who dotted on me with all their might and treated me most kindly. So…" He said, finally raising his head and peeking out from behind Agni, speaking completely in his own voice. "… You and Miss Chêne should do the same for him… dote on him and spoil him silly. _Got it!_? _Be nice to him!_!" Soma shouted as he jumped down and made a mad dash for it. _"You'd better do as I say!"_

"My priiiince, what a kind soul you possess_!_!_!_ Hauaaah~_!_!" Agni cried in admiration, deeply touched.

"…" Sebastian said as he watched him go. That spoiled prince certainly had gotten braver since the last time they met, to lecture him in such a way.

"Pfft…!" Chêne laughed, unable to hold it back. It looked like Prince Soma was a pretty interesting kid, after all.

"?" Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow as he glanced curiously at her.

"Ha-ha, sorry, sorry." She told him, her smile radiating happiness. "It's nothing… I was just thinking how nice it was that you managed to make such good friends, you and Ciel both."

"Is that so…?" Sebastian asked, smiling at her with wry affection. It was amazing how even the simplest of things could make her light up like that… And to think, just hours ago, she had been crying over the loss of a family she never even knew. She hadn't forgotten, that much he knew. The threat it could also mean to her was still present and lingering in the back of her mind, as it was in his. But for the moment, she was allowing herself to be truly happy, and seeing that was enough to make the demon smile, too.

_"Oh!"_ Chêne gasped excitedly, her eyes widening as she was suddenly overcome by the most remarkable epiphany. "I just remembered something really important my grandpa once told me_!_! Back when he was a kid, before they started using inhaled corticosteroids to treat asthma, they used to have to give him epinephrine shots whenever he had an attack! And then I was like, duh! I can't _believe_ how slow I've been! Epinephrine is just adrenaline! And If I can figure out how to make an EpiPen, a kind of auto-injector—probably something spring-loaded—then we'll really be set, because we'll have something that we can carry around with us all the time in case Ciel has another attack_!_!" She rattled on excitedly, barely pausing to take a breath. She was speaking so fast that even Sebastian had a bit of trouble keeping up with her. "So, that being said, I'm off to see a man about a sheep! Take good care of the boys while I'm gone! Love you!" She concluded, giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek before rushing off on her quest.

"…" Sebastian and Agni said as they stared a little blankly after her.

"Mister Sebastian… What just happened?" Agni asked, still a little stunned after being caught up in Chêne's whirlwind of a monologue. And what was the significance of the sheep…?

"I believe my wife has just had a stroke of genius…" Sebastian stated calmly. "It has been known to happen from time to time." He was fairly certain he hadn't understood half of what she had just said to him, but the gist of it seemed to be that she was onto something important regarding their young master's asthma, and she would be out for awhile…


	109. That Butler, Nurturing2

I own nothing but my OC.

* * *

><p><strong><em>That Butler, Nurturing 2<em>**

* * *

><p>≤speech in Indian language≥<p>

'thoughts'

"speech"

{setting/stage directions?}

SOUND EFFECTS

_An entire sentence like this, without quotes, is narration for dreams or stuff like written letters._

=†=†=†=†= scene shift/time shift

—^—^—^— change of perspective/area of action within one specific time frame/location

* * *

><p><strong>Previously:<strong>

_"Mister Sebastian… What just happened?" Agni asked, still a little stunned after being caught up in Chêne's whirlwind of a monologue. And what was the significance of the sheep…?_

_"I believe my wife has just had a stroke of genius…" Sebastian stated calmly. "It has been known to happen from time to time." He was fairly certain he hadn't understood half of what she had just said to him, but the gist of it seemed to be that she was onto something important regarding their young master's asthma, and she would be out for awhile…_

* * *

><p>After collecting everything she thought she might, Chêne was back at the townhouse and hard at work on reinventing the EpiPen for Ciel. She had a couple of ampules of sheep's adrenaline (which is what they had used before they figured out how to synthesize it in a laboratory) safely tucked away in the kitchen's refrigerator unit, so now all she had to do was finish working out the kinks in her design for the auto-injector. Theoretically, it should work just the same as a modern Epipen, but without modern plastics readily available for her use, she was going to have to improvise, and the device was probably going to end up being considerably more fragile since she would have to use a glass syringe… They would just have to be careful not to knock it around too much.<p>

"Hm?" She said, puzzled, when she suddenly felt a wave of intense sleepiness wash over her. She knew what that meant. This often happened just before she had one of her vision dreams, but she needed to finish this for Ciel. Chêne struggled to stay awake, but she was fighting a losing battle. Eventually her eyes closed, and her head hit the desk with a thud. She was out like a light.

_≈Dream Mode≈_

_There was a stately manor blanketed with snow. It felt neglected and empty from the outside. The windows that could be seen from the front were all dark, and no one had even bothered to shovel the walkways clear of snow. Its unkempt state was a far cry from the elegant and well cared for Phantomhive manor._

_Then, suddenly, there was complete darkness, and she found herself inside of a sparsely illuminated room that was filled with piles of what appeared to be the discarded parts of life-sized porcelain dolls. They were beautifully crafted, but something about them sent a foreboding chill up Chêne's spine._

_And then came the fire…_

_"!" Chêne exclaimed when she found herself facing several cages full children, all around Ciel's age and younger. They stared up at her with dull, listless eyes as the flames engulfed their surroundings. The heat was oppressive. They were trapped, trapped inside a raging inferno. None of them panicked or cried or tried to escape. They seemed completely unaware of what was happening around them, as though they had been drugged, or… or something so terrible had happened to them, that they had turned their minds inwards in an attempt to protect and shield themselves from the terrible reality of the outside world… They seemed incapable of feeling anything anymore, as though all that was left of them were empty shells…_

_Until the flames reached them._

_When the first child felt the flames licking his feet, his lifeless eyes suddenly widened, and he fell to the floor of the cage, screaming and writhing in complete and utter agony. _

_Chêne felt her own eyes widen in horror as she watched the flames spread from one child to the next before she even had time to blink. She turned to glance at the rest of the room, desperate to find something she could use to free them. What she saw made her blood run cold._

_There, in the middle of the amphitheater, was an altar… and it had been placed in the center of pentagram, a demon summoning seal… Just like the one from three years ago. It was the exact same room._

_Chêne shook her head in denial as she took a step back. No… it couldn't be… not here!_!

_"AAAAAAGHHHHHH!_!" _The heart-wrenching screams of the children jarred her back to reality. _

_"Don't worry, I'll get you out of there! I'll save you!_!"_ She cried reaching out to them despite the flames. "I'll save…" The words died in her throat when the child's hand turned to ash and crumbled in her hands. _

_She couldn't save them._

_"No…" She breathed, shaking her head in disbelief as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "NOOOOOOO!_!"

_≈End Dream Mode≈_

"—ne. _Chêne!"_ Sebastian shouted, shaking his wife as he tried to rouse her from her fitful sleep. He had come to remind her it was lunchtime only to find that she had fallen out of her chair and appeared to be having a terrible nightmare of some sort. That in itself was such a rare occurrence, that it was sufficient enough to cause him worry.

"Hah!" Chêne gasped, as her green eyes suddenly shot open, wide with panic. She had broken out into a cold sweat and was breathing heavily, as though she had been having some sort of panic attack. "Se… Sebastian?" She asked, relaxing slightly, as she gripped the sleeves of his coat, though she was clearly still very much distressed by whatever she had seen.

"It's all right, Chêne. You are all right, now." Sebastian said gently, speaking softly, as he held her close and stroked her hair. "I won't let any harm come to you."

"Oh, Sebastian…" Chêne breathed a shaky sigh of relief as she rested her head on his chest, still trembling slightly from what she had seen. "… the children… it was so horrible…"

"Children?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow slightly. Did she mean the missing children? Did this latest dream perhaps have something to do with their case…?

"They were burning, all of them…!" She exclaimed sadly, biting her lip, as she fought the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. It wasn't real, she had to remember that.

"Was it one of _those_ dreams?" He asked carefully. He didn't want to upset her, but if it was, then the detail of what she saw could prove to be important.

"No… I don't think so, not this time." She replied a little hesitantly. "I thought it was, at first, but in the end it was just a normal nightmare. It had to be, because I saw something that should no longer exist …"

"Something that should no longer exist?" Sebastian asked, furrowing his brow slightly.

"I saw… _that room_, the one where the three of us met for the first time…" She explained, glancing up at him. They both knew _that _room had been destroyed a long time ago, along with the people who had once made use of it.

"I see…" He said, frowning slightly. He felt somewhat troubled that she would have a nightmare about that after all this time, however… it was odd that the image of burning children should have manifested itself, as aside from the cult members, she and Ciel had been the only other humans present, and he had made certain there were no survivors before burning the place down to destroy the evidence. "Perhaps you have been putting yourself under too much stress." Sebastian suggested, though he didn't really believe it himself. Chêne was not the type to crack under pressure. She didn't run from challenges, she rose to them. "After all, you were only able to get about three hours of sleep last night after I sent you on that errand to the heraldry office. It might do you some good to get some rest as well."

"Thank you, but I don't want to end up dreaming about that again." She said regretfully, shaking her head.

"Do not worry. I will make something to help you sleep without having any dreams." He reassured her.

=†=†=†=†=

With his little sleeping beauty safely and peacefully tucked into bed for a nice nightmare-free nap, it was up to Sebastian and Agni to see to the chores and take care of the two boys.

"Dote in him and spoil him silly, hm…" The demon butler mused out loud to himself as he worked on cleaning out one of the fireplaces, knowing it would be up to him to do so whilst Chêne was out of commission. But just how was he supposed to go about accomplishing such a task…?

_RIIING~_

Sebastian paused in his work, perking up when he heard the distinct sound of the telephone ringing. Whoever could that be?

"Hello." Sebastian said as he picked up the receiver and answered the telephone. "Mister Tanaka?" He said, surprised to hear from the elderly steward. "Yes. Yes…" He replied respectfully, taking notes as he listened to what his fellow Phantomhive servant wanted to convey to him. "Understood. I shall inform the young master." The demon butler stated calmly.

=†=†=†=†=

{Later that evening…}

"Nn… It's dark…?" Ciel said sleepily when he finally opened his eyes again, blinking. Wasn't it still morning when the others forced him to go to bed…? Ciel gasped as his eyes widened with realization as he bolted upright in bed. _"What time is it!_?" He shouted anxiously, wondering how much time he had lost.

"It is 7:14 in the evening." Sebastian calmly informed him. Ciel glanced over at the demon butler to see that he was waiting patiently beside the dinner cart he had wheeled into the room for him. "You are up at last." The demon stated.

"Why didn't you wake me?" Ceil demanded, furrowing his brow with disapproval.

"I came to the conclusion that a butler should indeed think first about his master's health."

"Huh?" Ciel said, sweat-dropping. "Where is Chêne?" He asked when he noticed the petite maid was no where to be seen.

"Resting. Today's dinner is milk risotto with three kinds of mushrooms, and a pot-au-feu of pork and wine. For dessert, we have a compote of warm apples drizzled with yogurt sauce." Sebastian informed him as he removed the silver cloche covering the risotto first. "Here we are." He said, smiling so brightly there were sparkles around him, as he proceeded to try to spoon-feed it to his young master. "Say 'aaaah'."

_~CHIIIIIILLLLLLLS~_

_"!_?" Ciel exclaimed, shuddering so violently that the whole bed shook with him. **_"What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at, man!_****?"** He demanded, so deeply disturbed and appalled to see the demon behaving in such a manner, that he turned blue with shock and broke out in goosebumps all over his entire body.

"Ah! Is it too hot? Here, allow me to cool it for you." Sebastian said, completely nonplussed, as he blew on the spoonful of risotto to cool it. "My, my. What a spoiled child we have here. Goodness."

**_"Stop it, or I'm telling Chêne! There are limits to how perverse one can be, you know!" _**Ciel snapped angrily as multiple vein marks throbbed on his head. **_"Stop it this instant! I command you!_****!"**

"Heh!" Sebastian laughed, thoroughly amused by his young master's adverse reaction. It had been worth it just to be able to see the look on his face. "Prince Soma said a sick person ought to be doted on and spoiled. Was it not to your liking?" He asked, smirking. Ciel furrowed his brow in irritation.

"I have no need of spoiling or any such 'child's play'." Ciel told his butler sternly. "Things like that make me sick." Especially when coming from a demon. It set his teeth on edge.

"Is that right? I do beg your pardon." Sebastian said, smirking slightly, as he bowed. That's what he said now, but he had let Chêne get away with spoiling him quite often in the past, considering his claim to hate it…

=†=†=†=†=

"So… just how long is Chêne planning to rest?" Ciel asked once he had finished eating his dinner _on his own_ and Sebastian had started dressing him for the evening. She was going to miss the most important part of the investigation at this rate, and he didn't want to have to listen to her complain later because she was left behind.

"She will not wake for quite a while. I gave her hot cocoa with some medicine to put her into a sleep so deep, she would not be able to dream." Sebastian stated calmly as he buttoned up the young earl's shirt.

"Why would you do that?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. "You know how cross she gets whenever she thinks she's being excluded from something important."

"That is a consequence that I am perfectly willing to accept if it keeps her safe." Sebastian replied seriously, looking his master in the eye. "I do not want Chêne anywhere near Baron Kelvin's manor." He still couldn't shake the feeling that her dream had something to do with their investigation, and if that was the case, he didn't want Chêne interfering, lest her actions bring the same cursed fate down upon her as her Devinette ancestors of this world…

Ciel's brow twitched as he stared down his demon butler, wondering what had suddenly gotten into him.

"… Fine." He agreed. If they woke Chêne now, there was always the chance that she might try to stop him if she thought it was too soon for him to have fully recovered. Truth be told, he didn't really want to bring Chêne somewhere that promised to be so full of danger, either. Even if she had been taking lessons from his Aunt Francis, she wasn't a killer. Should worse come to worst, any hesitation to kill her opponent could be lethal on her part, and… he at least wanted her hands to be able to remain clean…

"By the way…" Sebastian said, bringing the young earl back to attention. "… We had a call from Mister Tanaka around four. It seems Lady Elizabeth is visiting the manor."

"Wha_!_?" Ciel exclaimed incredulously. "_Why didn't you say something sooner!_?" He demanded.

"I wanted you to partake of your meal at leisure, Young Master." Sebastian replied as he helped Ceil into his jacket. "If you do not chew well, the absorption of nutrients will be reduced—"

"Now see here. Don't parrot that duo of tranquil idiots." Ciel said sternly, referring to Agni and Soma, as a vein throbbed on his forehead.

"Lady Elizabeth does not intend to go back home until she sees Young Master… So Mister Tanaka wishes for our swift return." Sebastian said, picking up where he left off in his previous explanation about Tanaka's phone call.

"Ugh…" Ciel groaned, sweat-dropping, as he tried not to imagine how Lizzie must've already redecorated his manor to make it 'cute' before moving on to terrorize his servants by forcing them to dress in strange costumes. He was not looking forward to dealing with that sort of mess again anytime soon… "I trust you've looked into the location of Baron Kelvin's manor?" He asked his demon butler as he slipped on his rings.

"Yes, as I had ample time." Sebastian said, handing him his top hat. "From London, it would take the whole of a day by rail, then carriage."

"You can get us there in less than an hour, can't you?" Ciel asked pointedly as he placed the top hat securely on his head.

"If you so command." The demon replied.

"We shall resolve this matter without delay and return to the manor." Ciel stated resolutely. It was past time he finished this business.

"Yes, My Lord." Sebastian replied dutifully, placing a hand over his chest, as he followed his young master out the room.

"Ciel! You're trying to go out again, aren't you_!_?" Soma asked, concerned, as he ran up to meet them at the bottom of the stairs.

"…" Ciel said, sweat-dropping. And the annoying prince makes his entrance…

"You won't get better that way!" Soma started to scold him.

"Yesterday." Ciel said purposefully, as he continued his descent down the stairs, before the prince could launch into another lecture. "I'm told you took care of me while I was asleep."

"Eh_!_?" Soma said, caught off guard. "Y-Yeah."

"Thanks to you, I've quite recovered. Thank you so much." Ciel said sweetly, gracing his friend with one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen.

"I see_!_! It's all thanks to me~! Nah! Ha! Ha!" Soma said, blushing a little, as he laughed giddily and rubbed the back of his neck. "When you receive the proper care, your rate of recovery is a whole other story~!"

"Yes." Ciel replied with a straight face as he and Sebastian swept past the distracted prince. Practicing to smile occasionally comes in handy, eh? "And on that note, the quite healthy me will be going. See you later." He added rather bluntly.

"Ah!" Soma gasped as he spun around, and the front door slammed shut behind them, realizing his mistake too late. _"You tricked meeee, Ciiiiel!_! _I'll get you for this when you come back!"_ the prince shouted incredulously after the young earl and his butler. His voice was so loud that it echoed throughout the cold English night, but the two people he had most wanted to hear it were already long gone.

=†=†=†=†=

"There, There. It's not so far to go, so 'ang in there!" Freckles told her horse, stroking its mane while it drank from a stream before plopping herself down on a nearby log. "I'll rest a little myself." She said, rummaging around in her bag for something to eat. "Ah…" She had pulled out a Funtom sucker, the caramel one… that was the flavor Smile said he liked… "I still… can't believe Smile's with the Yard." She said sadly as she stared at the candy in her hand. "He's such a weak li'l mite… and I don't think he's a liar. Then again, we ain't exactly what we say we are either…"

Her horse nickered as it rubbed its soft muzzle against her cheek, as if trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, yer right!" Freckles told it, perking up, as she stood and stretched. "Anyway, I best be off quick to see brother Joker!" She added, quickly remounting her trusty steed. "Hyah!" She shouted, digging her heels in as the took off into the night once again.

=†=†=†=†=

{Baron Kelvin's Manor…}

William T. Spears was standing on the roof, still waiting on standby. It would not be long now until the main event. He was going to need all the help he could get to process such a large amount of souls at one time… _however_…

"This late in the game, and still no sign of reinforcements. Really now!" The reaper huffed in annoyance, furrowing his brow, as he tied a little tube containing a note of complaint to the foot of a carrier pigeon. "Deliver this document to the personnel division." He told the cooing bird. _"…Tch."_ Will clicked his tongue in irritation when he suddenly sensed the presence of a certain noxious beast drawing near. "Posthaste, if you please." He added, releasing the bird to deliver his message. Well, at least it would seem the beast had enough sense to leave the Code 42 behind… He did _not_ want to have to deal with the mountain of paperwork that was sure to be dumped on him should anything happen to her during the course of the events that were to follow shortly.

—^—^—^—

_THMP._

Sebastian landed gracefully in a crouching position while carrying Ciel. The demon butler promptly straightened up and set his young master down on his feet. The snow on the walkway crunched beneath the heel of Ciel's shoe.

"This is his manor?" Ciel asked, furrowing his brow slightly. It looked dark and empty.

"Yes, Sir." Sebastian replied calmly, knowing full well how deceiving looks could be. He glanced up at the sky when he heard a pigeon cooing and sensed an irritatingly familiar presence up on the roof.

"Well? Do you smell them?" Ciel asked.

"I do indeed." Sebastian said, narrowing his eyes slightly, before turning his attention back on the rest of the manor. "I cannot tell whether they are all hear… but those present are still alive."

_CREEEAAAK…_

_"!_?" Ciel said, furrowing his brow, when the front doors suddenly creaked open, seemingly on their own.

"We bid ye welcome to our home." A familiar voice greeted them. _"We have been waiting for you…"_ Joker said as he stepped forth from the deep darkness within and bowed. Gone was the usual smile they had grown accustomed to seeing on the ring leader's face. _"… Earl Phantomhive."_


End file.
